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EARLY MORMON

DOCUMENTS

Volume v

COMPILED AND EDITED BY

DAN VOGEL

Signature Books
Salt Lake City 2003

JACKET DESIGN BY SCOTT KNUDSEN

Early Mormon Documents: Volume V was printed on acid-free paper
and was composed, printed, and bound in the United States.

Signature Books is a registered trademark of Signature Books Publishing, LLC.

08 07 06 05 04 03 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Early Mormon documents / compiled and edited by Dan Vogel

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index
ISBN 1-56085-170-8 (v. 5)

1. Mormon Church—History—Sources. 2. Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints—History—Sources. 3. Smith, Joseph, 1805-1844—
Family—History—Sources. I. Vogel, Dan
BX8611.E19 2003

289.3’09—dc20 94-40565

CIP

http://www.signaturebooks.com

CONTENTS

Part VI.

Mormon Origins in
Fayette, New York

Introduction to Fayette, New York, Documents. 3

A. DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION
Introduction to David Whitmer Collection. 9

1. Eber D. Howe on David Whitmer, 1834. 13

2. David Whitmer Interview with Eri B. Mullin, 1874. 15

3. David Whitmer Interview with Chicago Times, August 1875 ... . 17

4. David Whitmer Interview with Thomas W. Smith,

January 1876. 25

5. David Whitmer Interview with Edward Stevenson,

22-23 December 1877 . 28

6. David Whitmer Interview with P. Wilhelm Poulson,

Circa April 1878. 36

7. David Whitmer Interview with Orson Pratt and

Joseph F. Smith, 7-8 September 1878 . 41

8. J. L. Traughber to Saints' Herald, 13 October 1879. 58

9. David Whitmer Interview with John Murphy, June 1880. 62

10. E. S. Gilbert to Ellen E. Dickinson, 1 August 1880. 65

11. David Whitmer Proclamation, 19 March 1881. 68

12. David Whitmer Interview with Kansas City Journal,

1 June 1881. 72

13. David Whitmer to Kansas City Journal, 13 June 1881. 81

14. David Whitmer Interview with Chicago Times,

14 October 1881. 83

15. David Whitmer Interview with William H. Kelley and

George A. Blakeslee, 15 December 1881. 89

16. David Whitmer Interview with J. W. Chatbum, 1882 . 93

17. David Whitmer Interviews with James H. Hart,

21 August 1883 & 10 March 1884. 95

CONTENTS

18. David Whitmer Interview with George Q. Cannon,

27 February 1884 .Ill

19. David Whitmer to E. L. Kelley, 3 March 1884. 117

20. David Whitmer Interview with E. C. Briggs and

R. Etzenhouser, 25 April 1884 . 119

21. David Whitmer Interview with Joseph Smith III and

Others, July 1884 . 123

22. David Whitmer Interview with St. Louis Republican,

July 1884 . 125

23. David Whitmer Interview with Unknown Reporter,

Circa July 1884. 133

24. David Whitmer Interview with Zenas H. Gurley,

14 January 1885 . 135

25. David Whitmer Interview with James Henry Moyle,

28 June 1885 . 139

26. David Whitmer Interview with Chicago Tribune,

15 December 1885 . 150

27. David Whitmer Interview with Edward Stevenson,

9 February 1886 . 159

28. David Whitmer Interview with Nathan Tanner, Jr.,

13 May 1886 . 165

29. David Whitmer Interview with Omaha (NE) Herald,

10 October 1886 . 171

30. David Whitmer Interview with M. J. Hubble,

November 1886 . 182

31. David Whitmer Interview with Edward Stevenson,

2 January 1887 . 185

32. David Whitmer to Anthony Metcalf, 2 April 1887 . 193

33. David Whitmer, Address, 1887. 194

34. David Whitmer Interview with Chicago Tribune,

23 January 1888 . 209

35. David Whitmer Interview with Richmond (MO) Democrat,

January 1888... 211

David Whitmer Addendum. .216

B. JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION
Introduction to John Whitmer Collection.231

1. John Whitmer History, Circa 1836-1838. 233

2. John Whitmer Testimony, 1836 . 239

CONTENTS

3. John Whitmer Testimony, 1839 . 240

4. John Whitmer to Mark H. Forscutt, 5 March 1876. 242

5. John Whitmer to Heman C. Smith, 11 December 1876 . 244

6. John Whitmer Testimony, 1878 . 245

7. John Whitmer Interview with P. Wilhelm Poulson,

April 1878 . 247

John Whitmer Addendum.250

C. MISCELLANEOUS WHITMER FAMILY COLLECTION

1. Hiram Page to William E. McLellin, 30 May 1847. 255

2. Hiram Page to William E. McLellin, 2 February 1848 . 257

3. Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery Affidavit, 15 February 1870 . . 260

4. John C. Whitmer Interview with Andrew Jenson and Edward

Stevenson, 11 October 1888 . 261

D. MISCELLANEOUS EARLY SOURCES

1. Lucius Fenn to Birdseye Bronson, 12 February 1830 . 267

2. Diedrich Willers to Reverend Brethren, 18 June 1830 . 270

E. MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

1. Diedrich Willers to Ellen E. Dickinson, 19 January 1882 . 281

2. Lee Yost to Diedrich Willers, Jr., 18 May 1897 . 287

3. Diedrich Willers, Jr., Historical Sketch, 1900 . 292

4. Harrison Chamberlain Reminiscence, 1903 . 296

5. Ernest L. Welch Account, 1904. 298

F. MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

1. David Marks Account, 1831 . 303

2. Sidney Rigdon to Ohio Saints, 4 January 1831. 305

3. Ezra Booth Accounts, 1831 . 308

4. William Scoby Obituary, 1834 . 311

5. Sidney Rigdon Reminiscence, 1844 . 312

6. Parley P. Pratt Autobiography (Part II), Circa 1854 . 316

7. Parley P. Pratt Reminiscence (Part II), 1856. 320

8. Orson Pratt Account, 1858 . 322

9. Orson Pratt Account, 1859 . 325

10. William E. McLellin to Joseph Smith III,

July Sc September 1872 . 327

11. History of Seneca County (NY), 1876. 331

12. J. L. Traughber to [James T. Cobb?], Circa 1881 . 333

vii

CONTENTS

13. David Lewis Reminiscence, 1908 . 336

14. J. L. Traughber Account, No Date.340

G. MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

1. Testimony of Three Witnesses, June 1829 . 345

2. Far West Record, 9 June 1830, 26 September 1830, &

2 January 1831 . 348

3. Joseph Smith, Sr., Priest’s License, 9 June 1830 . 352

4. Christian Whitmer Teacher’s License, 9 June 1830.. 355

5. John Whitmer Elder’s License, 9 June 1830 . 357

6. Edward Partridge Elder’s License, 15 December 1830. 359

APPENDIX A: EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK . . 363

APPENDIX B: CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831 . 377

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 457

Illustrations

1. Fayette, Seneca County, New York (map). 2

2. David Whitmer (photograph). 8

3. John Whitmer (portrait).230

4. Peter Whitmer farm site, 1907 (photograph).280

5. Seneca Lake, 1907 (photograph).302

6. Christian Whitmer Teacher’s License, 1830 (photograph).354

viii

ormon origins

Map of Fayette, Seneca County, New York.

INTRODUCTION TO
FAYETTE, NEW YORK, DOCUMENTS

If Fayette, New York, is incorrectly believed by many to be the location of
the LDS church’s organization on 6 April 1830 (see I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82), it is nevertheless the scene of other im¬
portant events: the Book of Mormon’s completion, reception of numerous
revelations, and three church conferences, to name a few. A largely rural area
situated below the Erie Canal about twenty-two miles directly east of Pal¬
myra, with Seneca and Cayuga Lakes on either side, Fayette was home to Pe¬
ter Whitmer, Sr., whose generosity was invaluable to the growth of Mor-
monism. Peter first heard about Joseph Smith through his son David, who
had met Oliver Cowdery in Palmyra in 1828 and conversed with him about
Smith’s discovery of gold plates (VI. A.12, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1JUN 1881). In April the next
year, Cowdery and Samuel Smith visited the Whitmer family on their way to
Harmony, Pennsylvania, where Joseph Smith was struggling with the trans¬
lation of the Book of Mormon. Before leaving Fayette, Cowdery promised
to write Whitmer concerning his investigation of Smith’s activities in Har¬
mony.

About mid-April 1829, Whitmer received a letter from Cowdery that
praised Smith’s seeric gifts. In a second letter, Cowdery quoted a few lines
from the Book of Mormon translation. In a third letter he told Whitmer that
they were experiencing persecution in Harmony and requested sanctuary in
Fayette for him and Smith (VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878;
VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY
JOURNAL , 1 JUN 1881; VI.A.17, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH JAMES H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10 MAR 1884). Whitmer
hitched a wagon and drove to Harmony about 1 June and conveyed Smith
and Cowdery to Fayette (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 21).

In the upper story of the Peter Whitmer, Sr., home, work on the Book
of Mormon continued until about the end of June. That same month,
Hyrum Smith, David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., and probably John
Whitmer were baptized in nearby Seneca Lake. Smith also visited Palmyra to
negotiate and arrange for the Book of Mormon’s publication. In the latter
part of the month, the three witnesses saw an angel and the gold plates in the

INTRODUCTION TO FAYETTE, NEW YORK, DOCUMENTS

woods near the Whitmer residence (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 22-25, 34; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:101; VI.A.7,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JO¬
SEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; L. Cook 1981, 25).

After overseeing the initial stages of printing the Book of Mormon in
Palmyra, Joseph Smith returned to Harmony, Pennsylvania, on 4 October
1829 (I.A. 1, JOSEPH SMITH TO OLIVER COWDERY, 22 OCT 1829,
1). Despite the fact that he resided in Harmony, the center of church affairs
continued in Fayette, excluding the church’s organization in Manchester on
6 April 1830 (see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82). On 11
April, Cowdery preached the first Mormon sermon in Fayette and baptized
Christian, Anne, and Elizabeth Whitmer and Hiram, Katharine, and Mary
Page in Seneca Lake (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 39,
DRAFT:11; VI.E.3, DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL
SKETCH, 1900, 48). On 18 April, Cowdery baptized Mary and Peter
Whitmer, Sr., and their daughter Elizabeth Ann, William and Elizabeth Jolly
and their son Vincent, and Ziba Peterson, all in Seneca Lake (I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 39; VI.E.3, DIEDRICH WILLERS,
JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH, 1900, 48). The first church conference was
held on 9 June at Peter Whitmer, Sr.’s, residence, and two other conferences
would be held at the Whitmer home on 26 September 1830 and 2 January
1831 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 41; VI.G.2, FAR WEST
RECORD, 9 JUN 1830 Sc 2 JAN 1831). Following the first conference,
David Whitmer baptized at least eleven people in Seneca Lake (I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 42; VI.A.16, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH J. W. CHATBURN, 1882).

When Joseph Smith met with renewed opposition in Pennsylvania,
Newel Knight transported him and his wife Emma to Fayette in September

1830, where they boarded with Peter Whitmer, Sr. In early October, Smith
received a commandment that his brother Hyrum should move his family
from Manchester to Colesville and that the remainder of the Smith family
should locate to Waterloo, a small village near the Whitmer farm (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:158-59, 168-69). For a time, the
Peter Whitmer, Sr., home was again the center of activities. This would
change after the arrival of Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge from Ohio
in early December 1830. During the conference in Fayette on 2 January

1831, Smith received a revelation instructing New York members to sell
their land, consecrate the proceeds to church officials, and remove to Ohio
(D&C 38:34-37). There were “some divisions among the congregation,
some would not receive the above as the word of the Lord: but [said] that Jo¬
seph had invented it himself to deceive the people [,] that in the end he might

INTRODUCTION TO FAYETTE, NEW YORK, DOCUMENTS

get gain” (VI.B.l, JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, 1831, 9). Smith’s aban¬
donment of Fayette and the loss of the Whitmer family’s prominence may
have contributed to David Whitmer’s resentment of Rigdon, which he
freely expressed in later years.

About 24 January 1831, Joseph and Emma Smith, together with
Rigdon and Partridge, left for Kirtland, Ohio, where they arrived about 1
February (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 92; III.E.3, PAL¬
MYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831, under 1 February 1831, 95). The first
week of May, Joseph’s mother, Lucy Smith, and about eighty Saints em¬
barked from Waterloo and traveled up the Cayuga, Seneca, and Erie Canals
to Buffalo. Together with the Colesville Saints, they made passage through
the ice onto Lake Erie and arrived at Fairport, Ohio, on 14 May (see Porter
1971, 307-8, 316-17).

The present compilation includes numerous statements by and inter¬
views with David Whitmer, followed by statements of his brother John
Whitmer, brother-in-law Hiram Page, sister Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cow-
dery, and nephewjohn C. Whitmer. Also included are accounts by area resi¬
dents, including the early letters of farmer Lucius Fenn and the Reverend
Diedrich Willers; the later statements of Lee Yost, Diedrich Willers, Sr.,
Diedrich Willers, Jr., and Harrison Chamberlain; and two published histo¬
ries. Statements from non-residents or visitors to the Fayette area have also
been provided. Finally, the miscellaneous documents section contains the
Testimony of Three Witnesses, priesthood licences for Joseph Smith, Sr.,
John Whitmer, and Christian Whitmer, and excerpts from the Far West Re¬
cord.

David Whitmer, photographed by R. B. Rice, ca. 1864. Courtesy Com¬
munity of Christ Archives, Independence, Missouri

INTRODUCTION TO
DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

David Whitmer, son of Peter Whitmer, Sr., was born on 7 January 1805 near
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. David was four when his family
moved to a farm in Fayette, New York. The family was associated with a
German Reformed congregation 1 in Fayette known as Zion's Church. Cal-
vinistic in doctrine and presbyterian in government, the German Reformed
tradition was anti-authoritarian and anti-creedal, proclaiming scripture as
the only source of doctrine. This may explain some of the attraction Joseph
Smith had for the Whitmers, as well as a reason for David’s subsequent trou¬
bles with the prophet over increasing hierarchical control, Smith’s demand
for primacy, and publication of Smith’s revelations as articles of faith.

In 1828, Whitmer met Oliver Cowdery, who the next year traveled to
Harmony, Pennsylvania, to meet the prophet. He reported back to Whitmer
by letter that Smith apparently had the ability to discern Cowdery’s private
thoughts. This letter was followed by a request for refuge for Smith and
Cowdery in Fayette. In early June 1829, Whitmer traveled to Harmony in
his wagon and conveyed the two men to his father’s residence where the
translation of the Book of Mormon would continue.

Shortly after his return to Fayette, David Whitmer was baptized by Jo¬
seph Smith in Seneca Lake, along with other members of the Whitmer fam¬
ily. Near the end ofjune, David experienced what he would be remembered
for when he, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris gathered in
the woods near Peter Whitmer’s residence and there saw an angel displaying
the gold plates on a table. Later known as “the most interviewed witness,”
Whitmer, like Harris (see “Introduction to Martin Harris Collection”), in¬
terpreted this experience as visionary rather than literal or materialistic. Dur¬
ing his June 1880 interview with Whitmer, John Murphy asked: “Then you
had impressions as the quaker [receives] when the spirit moves, or as a good

1. David’s ancestry on both sides of the family was German or German
speaking, and the family spoke with a German accent. His grandfather, George
Witmer, was born in Prussia, and George’s father was born in Switzerland. Da¬
vid’s mother’s name, Mary Musselman, indicates German heritage, although she
was apparently bom in Pennsylvania. See VI.A.18, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH GEORGE Q. CANNON, 27 FEB 1884.

INTRODUCTION TO DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?” Whitmer answered,
“Just so.” (VI.A.9, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH JOHN
MURPHY, JUN 1880). Following publication of Murphy’s account,
Whitmer responded with a written “Proclamation” in which he reaffirmed
his testimony and attached an affidavit attesting to his honesty and standing in
the community. Significantly, he stopped short of refuting any specific state¬
ment in Murphy’s version of the interview (see VI.A. 11, DAVID WHIT¬
MER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR 1881).

The subjective aspect ofWhitmer’s experience was detailed in an 1885
interview conducted by James Henry Moyle: “Mr D. Whitmer Sen did not
handle the plates. Only seen <saw> them.... Says he did see them and the an¬
gel and heard him speak. But that it was indiscribablef,] that it was through
the power of God (and was possibly or at least [visionary]) [.] he then spoke of
Paul hearing and seeing Christ but his associates did not. Because it is only
seen in the Spirit.” Moyle attempted to ascertain whether “the atmosphere
about them was normal. ” In other words, did the angel appear in normal sur¬
roundings or was the natural world obscured? According to Whitmer, “it
was indescribable, but the light was bright and clear, yet apparently,” in
Moyle’s words, “a different kind of light, something of a soft haze. ...” A re¬
cent law school graduate at the time, Moyle noted his disappointment: “I was
not fully satisfied with the explanation. It was more spiritual than I antici¬
pated” (VI.A.25, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH JAMES
HENRY MOYLE, 28 JUN 1885).

Whitmer told Nathan Tanner that those who beheld the plates were
first “overshadowed by the power of God and a halo of brightness indescrib¬
able” (VI.A.28, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH NATHAN
TANNER, 13 APR 1886, 1). In an interview in 1886, Whitmer further de¬
scribed “a strange entrancing influence, which permeated him so powerfully
that he felt chained to the spot” (VI.A.29, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH OMAHA [NE] HERALD , 10 OCT 1886). Explaining his
experience to Anthony Metcalf in 1887, Whitmer said: “Of course we were
in the spirit when we had the view, but were in the body also, and everything
was as natural to us, as it is at any time. ... A bright light enveloped us where
we were, that filled [the woods as brightly as] at noon day, and there in a vi¬
sion or in the spirit, we saw and heard just as it is stated in my testimony in the
Book of Mormon” (VI.A.32, DAVID WHITMER TO ANTHONY
METCALF, 2 APR 1887).

An examination ofWhitmer’s activities prior to seeing the angel and
the plates suggests that he was already sensitive to such experiences. For ex¬
ample, he reported that while he, Smith, and Cowdery first traveled from
Harmony to Fayette in 1829, they saw a Nephite on the road who suddenly

INTRODUCTION TO DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

disappeared. Upon arriving at his father’s house, “they were impressed” that
the same Nephite was under the “Shed.” While plowing in his fields on the
morning prior to his vision with the other two witnesses, Whitmer saw an
apparition of a man who told him: “Blessed is the Lord Sc he that keepeth his
Commandments” (see, e.g., VI.A.5, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 22-23 DEC 1877). One should there¬
fore view his experience in the context of a highly charged period in his life.
As Lyndon W. Cook has noted, these accounts of “other supernatural expe¬
riences ... must be seen in connection with the more frequently printed evi¬
dence to fully appreciate this eyewitness’s testimony” (Cook 1991, x). In¬
deed, given Whitmer’s overall state of mind and the subjectivity of his expe¬
rience, the possibility of hallucination cannot be ruled out.

Before moving to Kirtland, Ohio, Whitmer married Julia Ann Jolly,
daughter of a neighbor, William Jolly, on 9 January 1831. David had been
ordained an elder in New York, but on 25 October 1831 in Ohio, he was
further ordained to the high priesthood. In 1832, he moved to Jackson
County, Missouri. Two years later, on 7 July 1834, he was ordained Joseph
Smith’s successor and president of the church in Missouri even though he
had criticized Smith’s leadership and institutional innovations. In the wake
of the Kirtland banking crisis of 1837, Whitmer became increasingly outspo¬
ken and, in April 1838, was excommunicated. Soon after, he moved to
Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, where he ran a livery stable and briefly
served as mayor. For a short time, he was the leader of a splinter group which
included former church apostle William E. McLellin and Book of Mormon
witness Hiram Page. Thereafter, he remained separate from any denomina¬
tion. He died in Richmond on 25 January 1888 (Cook 1981, 24-25; Cook
1991, ix-xxvi).

In this collection, Whitmer’s numerous statements and interviews are
presented in chronological order. 2 I have included all of the substantial state-

2. Many of Whitmer’s interviews were reprinted in the RLDS (now
Community of Christ) Saints' Herald and from there in Lyndon W. Cook, ed.,
David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness (Orem, UT: Grandin Book Co.,
1991). The reprints vary slightly from the originals, with only insignificant devi¬
ations, but I have nevertheless consulted and presented the originals wherever
possible. I have included only those portions of lengthy documents that are rele¬
vant to the pre-Ohio period, whereas Cook’s compilation includes the docu¬
ments in whole. Deletions are, of course, indicated by ellipses. The following
items were not included in Cook’s compilation: EBER D. HOWE ON
DAVID WHITMER, 1834; DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
JOHN MURPHY, JUN 1880; E. S. GILBERT TO ELLEN E. DICKINSON,
1 AUG 1880; DAVID WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR 1881;

INTRODUCTION TO DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

ments he is known to have made regarding the Book of Mormon and early
church history. Less significant statements are included in an addendum.

DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH UNKNOWN REPORTER,
CIRCA JUL 1884; and DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887; as well as sev¬
eral items in the addendum and portions of Whitmer’s interviews with George
Q. Cannon, James Henry Moyle, and Edward Stevenson.

EBER D. HOWE ON
David Whitmer, 1834

E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed: or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Impo¬
sition and Delusion, from Its Rise to the Present Time (Painesville, Ohio: E. D.
Howe, 1834), 15-16.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On Eber D. Howe (1798-?), see introduction to III.F.6, EBER D.
HOWE ON MARTIN HARRIS, 1834.

DAVID WHITMAR is the third special witness who signed [p. 15] the
certificate with [Martin] Harris and [Oliver] Cowdery, testifying to having
seen [the] plates. He is one of five of the same name and family who have
been used as witnesses to establish the imposition, and who are now head
men and leaders in the Mormonite camp. They were noted in their neigh¬
borhood for credulity and a general belief in witches, 1 and perhaps were fit
subjects for the juggling arts of Smith. David relates that he was led by Smith
into an open field, on his father’s farm, where they found the Book of plates
lying upon the ground. 2 Smith took it up and requested him to examine it,
which he did for the space of half an hour or more, when he returned it to
Smith, who placed it in its former position, alledging that it was in the cus¬
tody of an Angel. He describes the plates as being about eight inches square,
the leaves being metal of a whitish yellow color, and of the thickness of tin
plates. The back was secured with three small rings of the same metal, passing
through each leaf in succession; that the leaves were divided equidistant be¬
tween the back and the edge, by cutting the plates in two parts, and again
united with solder, so that the front might be opened, while the back part re¬
mained stationary and immovable, and was consequently a sealed book,
which would not be revealed for ages to come, and which Smith himself was
not permitted to understand. On opening that part of the book which was
not secured by seals, he discovered inscribed on the aforesaid plates, divers

1. See VI.D.2, DIEDRICH WILLERS TO REVEREND BRETH¬
REN, 18JUN 1830.

2. Cf. III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR, 1828-1831, under 19 March
1831, 126.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

and wonderful characters, some large and some small, but beyond the wis
dom of man to understand without supernatural aid; this account is some
times partly contradicted by Harris. 3

3. Cf. III.F.6, EBER D. HOWE ON MARTIN HARRIS, 1834.

David whitmer interview
WITH ERI B. MULLIN, 1874

Eri B. Mullin to the Editor, 25 January 1880, Saints' Herald 27 (1 March
1880): 76.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Eri B. Mullin (1841-1922) was born in Ray, Davies County, Missouri.
About 1863 he married Martha Harber. He joined the RLDS Church in
1870 and later died at Independence, Jackson County, Missouri (Black 1993,
4:550-51).

In the following brief letter to the editors of the Saints' Herald, Mullin
recounts an interview he had with David Whitmer in 1874.

January 25, 1880.

Dear Brethren:—

I have been reading the news in the Herald for several years, and among
the many testimonies that I have read is one from Mr. L. Traughber, of
Carrol county, Missouri, said to be from D[avid]. Whitmer. 1 Mr. D.
Whitmer told me in the year 1874, that Joseph Smith used the Urim and
Thummim when he was translating. But now it is said that he lost it when he
gave the first part of the book to Martin Harris 2 ; after that he used the Stone.
Bro. T. W. Smith, I think was right. 3 I for my part know he said that Joseph
had the instrument Urim and Thummim. I asked him how they looked. He
said they looked like spectacles, and he (Joseph) would put them on and look
in a hat, or put his face in the hat and read. Says I, “Did he have the plates in
there.” “No; the words would appear, and if he failed to spell the word right,
it would stay till it was spelled right, then pass away; another come, and so
on.” Now this Mr. Traughber used to say that the Reorganized Church was
right, but now he fights against us; says we are not right, neither the Book of

1. See VI.A.8,J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS' HERALD, 13 OCT

1879.

2. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

3. See VI.A.4, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS
W. SMITH, JAN 1876.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Covenants. I believe both to be right, but that Mr. Whitmer carried the idea
that the translation was by both, or either Urim and Thummim and the
stone.

Eri B. Mullin

David Whitmer interview

WITH CHICAGO TIMES ,
AUGUST 1875

“The Golden Tablets on Which Were Inscribed the Records of the Tribe of
Nephi. Written in ‘Improved Egyptian’ and Translated by Joseph Smith.
How He Came to Find Them and the Mighty Goggles by Which They
Were Translated. And How He Was Pitched Down Hill for Daring to Think
He had Struck a Bonanza. An Interview with David Whitmer, Who Helped
to Make the Translation. And Who Now Holds the Original Manuscripts of
the Book of Mormon. ...,” Chicago Times, 7 August 1875, 1.

EDITORIAL NOTE

This interview was conducted at David Whitmer’s home in Rich¬
mond, Missouri, in the presence of Jacob T. Child, editor of the Richmond
Conservator. After the interview was published, an unidentified non-Mor¬
mon gentleman from Salt Lake City, “having entertained doubt of the genu¬
ineness of the reprinted interview of the Chicago Times correspondent with
Mr. David Whitmer, relative to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon
and other matters, as published in the [Salt Lake] Herald some weeks ago,
wrote to Mr. Whitmer, making inquiry as to the reliability of the statements
attributed to him,” and received the following:

Richmond, Missouri, August 17, 1875.

In the fear of the Lord, and under the guardianship of my aged grand¬
father, I write to you for him: “The conversation in which I gave the out¬
lines of my experiences and history to the reporter of the Chicago Times ,
and published by them—which was copied by the Herald, is substantially
correct. There may be a few minor errors, but they do not interfere at all
with what I gave him in substance, or the purposes of the Almighty Father
in disseminating his truth.”

Under his instruction (David Whitmer)

I am sir, your obedient servant
George W. Schweich

(Salt Lake Herald, 18 September 1875; Cook 1991, 236).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

While everybody knows that Joseph Smith was the founder of the
Church of Christ, or, as it is more commonly called, Mormonism, compara¬
tively few know anything more than this of Smith and his creed. To bring
out some of the salient points in the life of this wonderful man, to give the
true record of the finding of the golden tablets, and the translation of their
“reformed Egyptian” hieroglyphics into the book of Mormon, by means of
the Urim and Thummim, and to show wherein the Church of Christ of Lat¬
ter-Day saints differs from the original Church of Christ, as instituted by Jo¬
seph Smith, the prophet, are, in brief, the objects of this article.

JOSEPH SMITH WAS BORN

Dec. 13 [23], 1805, at Sharon, Windsor county, Ver[mon]t., very much as
ordinary mortals are brought into the world. There were no “fiery shapes” or
“burning crescents” to mark the advent of this, the greatest prophet since the
days of Mohammed. His parents belonged to the sub-stratum of society, or
what was known as the mud-sill element in ante bellum days. In 1815 they
moved to a point near Palmyra, Wayne county, New York, and 10 years
later crossed the line and settled in the adjoining county of Ontario. 1 Joseph
was an illiterate and wayward, but at the same [time] an original youth. Early
in life he manifested a strong tendency toward the mysterious, and managed
to earn shillings as a water-witch, using the forked hazel stick to designate the
exact place where the credulous could sink wells with a certainty of finding
an ample supply of water. So, at least, say those who disbelieve in his religion.
It was about the year 1827 that Joseph inaugurated, or was the instrument of
inaugurating, one of the most novel and successful religious schemes that has
started the world for many centuries,—one that has attracted the attention
of, and made converts from, the old world as well as the new, and has been
and is to-day a formidable element in the religious and political affairs of the
republic.

THE BASIS OF THE WHOLE FABRIC

was the finding, or the purported finding, by Smith, of certain sacred records
which 14 centuries before had been buried by the last remnant of one of the
lost tribes of Israel. 2 Hon. Joseph Smith was led to the discovery, and how he
utilized it, was told to a TIMES reporter by David Whitmer, of Missouri,

1. Actually, Joseph Smith, Sr., moved to Palmyra in 1816, and purchased
his Manchester land in 1820 (see III.L.4, SMITH MANCHESTER [NY]
LAND RECORDS, 1820-1830).

2. It was common, and sometimes still is, for those unfamiliar with the
contents of the Book of Mormon to incorrectly describe it as a record of the lost
tribes of Israel. The error was certainly the editor’s, not Whitmer’s.

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES , 1875

who witnessed much of that whereof he speaks, and who to-day has in his
possession the original documents on which the church was founded. 3 His
story runs somewhat thus:

One night Joseph Smith awoke from deep sleep to find his humble
room ablaze with glorious effulgence. In the midst of this supernatural radi¬
ance stood an angelic figure robed in white, who, in seraphic tones, said to
him that in a stone casket buried near the summit of the hill Cumorah were
the priceless and sacred records of the Nephites, one of the lost tribes. Pres¬
ently the light and the strange messenger disappeared, and all was dark. Jo¬
seph slept, and a second time he awoke to see the same mysterious light and
presence, and to hear the same weird directions. He slept again, and a third
time the angelic visitant and heavenly light appeared as before. In the morn¬
ing Joseph arose pale and haggard, meditating upon the events of the night,
and his parents, observing his strange appearance, questioned him closely but
received only evasive answers. As soon as he could escape observation he
strolled out and away from the house and sought the hill Cumorah, an oval
prominence with a base half a mile in diameter, situated near Manchester. He
found the exact spot designated by the white-robed visitor, and at once com¬
menced digging in the rock-ribbed soil. At the depth of two and a half or
three feet his faith was rewarded by the discovery of

A SQUARE STONE CASKET.

Overpowered by the discovery he rested for a few moments, and then
visions of worldly emolument flitted through his overwrought brain. He had
been singled out as the discoverer of this secret of the infinite! Should he ne¬
glect this golden opportunity to amass a fortune? No! He would take a trusty
few into his confidence, the better to accomplish his mercenary purpose, and
untold wealth and fame would be guaranteed to all. While these worldly
thoughts occupied Joseph’s mind, the angel of the Lord again suddenly stood
before him, told him that he had approached this sacred spot in [an] irrever¬
ent mood, that the secrets of the casket could never be his until he sought
them in the proper spirit, and then hurried him unceremoneously to the
plain below. Joseph arose chagrined, and resolutely ascended the hill, when
he was again hur[r]ied back with words of awful warning. A third attempt,

3. On several occasions Whitmer incorrectly claimed to have the origi¬
nal Book of Mormon manuscript, apparently unaware that the original dictated
manuscript was placed in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House on 2 October
1841. Whitmer was in possession of the printer’s copy. In correcting Whitmer’s
error, Edward Stevenson noted: “Be this as it may, it would be hard to convince
David Whitmer of it” (Millennial Star 48 [5 July 1886]: 421).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

with like result, sufficed to convince him that he was battling against the
Lord, and he desisted and repaired to his father’s house, leaving the casket in¬
tact. After long weeks of prayerful purification he again visited the hill
Cumorah and reverently unearthed the casket. With an unpoetical crowbar
he removed the cover, when were revealed to his astonished sight a number
of golden plates, and a singular stone. The plates were each about 6x10 inches
in size, and were held together by a brazen ring passing through a hole near
the top, so that the entire package could be opened like a book. On these
plates were mystic characters that no man could decipher. A learned philolo¬
gist in New York city was consulted but confessed his utter ignorance of the
language embodied in the symbols. 4 But a stone had been found with the
plates, shaped like a pair of ordinary spectacles, though much larger, and at
least half an inch in thickness, and perfectly opaque save to the prophetic vi¬
sion of Joseph Smith. On the tablets or plates were engraven the records of
the lost tribe of Nephites, and the stone was

THE URIM AND THUMMIM,

by which the seers of old had deciphered the mysteries of the universe.

Joseph Smith, recognizing the necessity of having confidants and assis¬
tants that he might utilize the great gift, shared his secret with a few young
men in the neighborhood, among whom were Oliver Cowdery 5 and Martin
Harris. 6 David Whitmer, living 22 miles away, came to town on business,
overheard some conversation with reference to the discovery, became inter¬
ested, formed Joseph’s acquaintance, was shown the plates, as well as some
practical tests of the Urim and Thummim, and was overwhelmed with con¬
viction, and became an active disciple and confidant. In 1828 Smith com¬
menced the translation of the inscriptions upon the plates, but the excite¬
ment in the vicinity of his father’s residence was such that he was compelled
to leave the country. 7 He took refuge at Harmony, Pennsylvania, whither

4. Concerning Charles Anthon’s inability to read the characters, see “In¬
troduction to Martin Harris Collection”; also V.D.2, CHARLES ANTHON
TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834; and V.D.3, CHARLES ANTHON TO
THOMAS WINTHROP COIT, 3 APR 1841.

5 . On Oliver Cowdery ( 1806 - 50 ), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

6. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

7. According to Joseph Smith, he left Manchester, New York, in De¬
cember 1827 and made transcriptions from the plates after his arrival at Har¬
mony, Pennsylvania (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 5).

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, 1875

Cowdery soon followed him, 8 stopping over night en route at the house of
David Whitmer’s father, when the two young men conversed long and ear¬
nestly upon the new revelations. In the spring of 1829, even Harmony be¬
came too hot for Joseph, and he sent to New York for succor. David
Whitmer started out in a wagon, drove 160 miles to Harmony, took Smith
and Cowdery as passengers, and conveyed them thence to his father’s house
where they remained in retirement until September, completing the transla¬
tion. 9 During all these months David had free access to their room, and was

AN EYE-WITNESS TO THE METHOD OF PROCEDURE.

The plates were not before Joseph while he translated, but seem to have been
removed by the custodian angel. The method pursued was commonplace
but nevertheless effective. Having placed the Urim and Thummim in his hat,
Joseph placed the hat over his face, and with prophetic eyes read the invisible
symbols syllable by syllable and word by word, while Cowdery or Harris
acted as recorders. 10 “So illiterate was Joseph at that time,” said Mr.
Whitmer, “that he didn’t even know that Jerusalem was a walled city, 1 and
he was utterly unable to pronounce many of the names which the magic
power of the Urim and Thummim revealed, and therefore spelled them out
in syllables, and the more erudite scribe put them together. The stone was the
same used by the Jaredites at Babel. 12 I have frequently placed it to my eyes
but could see nothing through it. I have seen Joseph, however, place it to his
eyes and instantly read signs 160 miles distant and tell exactly what was tran¬
spiring there. When I went to Harmony after him he told me the names of
every hotel at which I had stopped on the road, read the signs, and described

8. Whitmer’s account skips over Martin Harris’s tenure as scribe, which
was from about 12 April to 14 June 1828.

9. Smith and Cowdery moved to Fayette, New Y ork, in early June 1829
and completed the translation by about the end of June. After arranging for the
printing in Palmyra, Smith returned to Harmony on 4 October 1829, remaining
there until his return to Fayette in September 1830.

10. The reviewer apparently confuses Smith’s seer stone with his “specta¬
cles,” sometimes referred to as urim and thummim. Smith placed his seer stone,
not the urim and thummim, into his hat (see VI.A.8, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO
SAINTS } HERALD, 13 OCT 1879; see also Lancaster 1990, 97-112).

11. This information originates with Emma Smith (see I.F.l, EMMA
SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH EDMUND C. BRIGGS, 1856;
also VI.A.20, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH E. C. BRIGGS
AND R. ETZENHOUSER, 25 APR 1884).

12. See Eth. 3:21-28. However, this passage refers to the urim and
thummim, not the seer stone.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

various scenes without having ever received any information from me.” 13
The unbelievers frequently attempted to confound the faithful few by asking
them if they supposed

“THAT FOOL BOY”

could write anything, or that God would select such a wretch as a medium of
communicating His will. The ready answer was that God was not very par¬
ticular as to the instruments used to accomplish certain desired ends, and that
devils as well as angels had their places in His economy.

In 1830 the Book of Mormon was first published, and on the 6th of
April of that year the Church of Christ was organized at Manchester. 14 ... 15

DAVID WHITMER

was born near Harrisburg, Pa., and when he was but four years old his parents
removed to New York, settling at a point midway between the northern ex¬
tremities of Lake Cayuga and Seneca, two miles from Waterloo, two miles
from Seneca river, four miles from Seneca Falls, seven miles from Geneva,
and 22 miles from Palmyra. He is now 70 years of age, but as hale and hearty
as most men at 50. In person he is above medium height, stoutly built though
not corpulent, his shoulders inclining to stoop as if from so long supporting
his massive head rather than from the weight of years, his frank, manly, and
benevolent face closely shaven, and his whole exterior betokening him to be
one of nature’s gentlemen. The rudiments of education he learned in school,
and a life-time of thought and research have served to expand and store his
mind with vast funds of information. THE TIMES reporter found him at his
pleasant two-story white frame residence near the centre of the town of
Richmond, Mo., and, in company with Hon. J. T Child, 16 editor of The
Conservator, was admitted, introduced, and received a cordial greeting.

13. Cf. VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; and VI.A.17, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10
MAR 1884.

14. The designation of Manchester as the location of the church’s organi¬
zation is likely the editor’s insertion. Elsewhere Whitmer consistently, although
incorrectly, places the organization at Fayette, New York (see, e.g., VI.A.33,
DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS 1887, 33). On the location of the church’s
organization, see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82.

15. Discussion of the Book of Mormon’s contents and reproduction of the
Testimony of Three Witnesses are here deleted.

16. Jacob T. Childs, age thirty-seven and a native of Virginia, is listed in
the 1870 census of Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, as a “Publisher”
(1870:587).

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, 1875

When the object of the call was made known, Mr. Whitmer smilingly and
meditatively remarked that it was true he had in his possession the original
records, and was conversant with the history of the Church of Christ from
the beginning, but was under obligations to hold both history and records sa¬
cred until such time as the interests of truth and true religion might demand
their aid to combat error. Presently he became quite animated, arose to his
feet and with great earnestness and good nature spoke for half an hour on the
harmony between the bible and the original Book of Mormon, showing
how the finding of the plates had been predicted, referring to the innumera¬
ble evidences, in the shape of ruins of great cities existing on this continent,
of its former occupation by a highly civilized race, reverently declared his
solemn conviction of the authenticity of the records in his possession, and
closed by

DENOUNCING THE LATTER DAY SAINTS OF UTAH
as an abomination in the sight of the Lord. ... 17

David Whitmer believes in the bible as implicitly as any devotee alive,
and he believes in the Book of Mormon as much as he does in the bible. The
one is but a supplement to the other, according to his idea, and neither would
he complete were the other lacking. And no man can look at David
Whitmer’s face for a half-hour, while he charit[abl]y and modestly speaks of
what he has seen, and then boldly and earnestly confesses the faith that is in
him, and say that he is a bigot or an enthusiast. While he shrinks from unnec¬
essary public promulgation of creed, and keenly feels that the Brighamites
and Danites and numerous other ites have disgraced it, yet he would not hes¬
itate, in emergency, to

STAKE HIS HONOR AND EVEN HIS LIFE

upon its reliability. His is the stern faith of the puritans, modified by half a
century of benevolent thought and quiet observation. He might have been a
martyr had he lacked sense and shrewdness to escape the death sentence that
was pronounced against him by the high priests of the church he had helped
to build. As it is, he is perhaps the only living witness of the wondrous revela¬
tion made to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism.

David Whitmer was married in Seneca county, New York, in 1830
[1831], and was for a number of years an elder in the Church of Christ.
To-day he is the proprietor of a livery stable in Richmond, Mo., owns some
real estate, has a handsome balance in the bank, is universally respected by all

17. Whitmer’s statements about Utah, Brigham Young, and polygamy are
here deleted (see Cook 1991, 5-6).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

who know him, and surrounded by children and grandchildren, is pleasantly
gliding toward the gates of sunset, confident that the God of Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob was also the God of Nephi, whose faithful disciple he has
been and is. He does not believe that all believing in the Book of Mormon or
all adherents to any other faith will be found among the elect, but that the
truly good of every faith will be gathered in fulfilment of prophecy. Neither
does he believe that the Book of Mormon is the only record of the lost tribes
hidden in the earth, but, on the contrary, that the caves hold other records
that will not come forth till all is peace and the lion shall eat straw with the
lamb. Three times has he been at the hill Cumorah and seen the casket that
contained the tablets, and the seer-stone. Eventually the casket had been
washed down to the foot of the hill, but it was to be seen when he last visited
the historic place. 18 He declares that he has never been a Mormon, as the
term is commonly interpreted, but is a firm believer in the book, in the faith
of Christ, and the fulfilment of the prophecies in due time. ... 19

18. In subsequent interviews, Whitmer states that in 1828 he was told by
others about the place of deposit on the Hill Cumorah (see VI.A. 12, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITYJOURNAL, 1JUN 1881;
and VI.A.14, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES,
14 OCT 1881). This is contradicted by Lorenzo Saunders, who said he searched
the hill only days after Smith removed the plates and could find no evidence that
anyone had dug there except on its northeastern slope where the treasure seekers
had been a year or two earlier (see III.J.20, LORENZO SAUNDERS TO
THOMAS GREGG, 28 JAN 1885). It is likely that Whitmer believed the east¬
ern excavation to be the place of extraction and that the stones at the bottom of
the hill had originally belonged to the stone box (cf. III.K.32, EDWARD
STEVENSON REMINISCENCE, 1893, 13).

19. Whitmer’s account ofleaving the church in 1838 and discussion of the
Spaulding theory of the Book of Mormon’s origin have been deleted (see Cook
1991, 7-9).

David whitmer interview
with Thomas W. Smith,
JANUARY 1876

1. Thomas Wood Smith to the Editor, Fall River (MA) Herald, 28
March 1879; reprinted in the Saints' Herald 26 (15 April 1879): 128.

2. Thomas W. Smith to Joseph Smith III, Saints' Herald 27 (1 January
1880): 13.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Thomas Wood Smith (1838-94) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylva¬
nia. In 1858 he married Helen Marr Pierce. While laboring as a Christian
minister in Illinois, he was converted and baptized into the RLDS church on
14 March 1866 and was called to be an apostle in the Quorum of Twelve in
1873. He died at Independence, Missouri (Smith and Smith 1897-1903,
4:678-83).

His initial statement in the Fall River Herald was disputed by John L.
Traughber (see VI.A.8, J. L. TPJVUGHBER TO SAINTS' HERALD, 13
OCT 1879), to which Smith responded in the Saints' Herald, item number 2
below.

[1. Thomas W. Smith Statement, 1879]

Editor of Fall River Herald :—

... The assertion that “the three witnesses confessed to having sworn
falsely” is a base fabrication, it is unqualifiedly false. Beside possessing evi¬
dence that cannot be gainsaid that Oliver Cowdery 1 and Martin Harris 2
maintained the truth of their published testimony concerning the seeing of
the angel and viewing the plates, till the day of their death; (and I will gladly
avail myself of the privilege of proving this,) and beside having the printed
testimony of David Whitmerf,] the other witnessf,] as it appeared in the Chi-

1. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

2. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

cago Times , Aug. 7, 1875, 3 I personally heard him [David Whitmer] state in
Jan. 1876 in his own house in Richmond, Ray Co. Mo. in most positive lan¬
guage, that he did truly see in broad day light, a bright, and most beautiful be¬
ing, an “Angel from Heaven,” who did hold in his hands the golden plates,
which he turned over leaf by leaf, explaining the contents, here and there.
He also described the size and general appearance of the plates, and he further
said, that he saw Joseph translate, by the aid of the Urim and Thummim, time
and again, and he then produced a large pile of foolscap paper closely written
in a very fair hand, which he declared was the manuscript written mainly by
Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, as the translation was being read by the
aid of the Urim and Thummim of the characters on the plates by Joseph
Smith, which work of translation and transcription he frequently saw. ...

T. W. SMITH.

[2. Thomas W. Smith Response, 1880]

Bro. Joseph:—When I first read Mr. Traughber’s paper in [the] Herald of
November 15th, 4 1 thought that I would not notice his attack at all, as I sup¬
posed that I was believed by the Church to be fair and truthful in my state¬
ments of other men’s views, when I have occasion to use them, and I shall
make this reply only: That unless my interview with David Whitmer in Jan¬
uary, 1876, was only a dream, or that I failed to understand plain English, I
believed then, and since, and now, that he said that Joseph possessed, and
used the Urim and Thummim in the translation of the inscriptions referred
to, and I remember of being much pleased with that statement, as I had heard
of the “Seer stone” being used. And unless I dreamed the interview, or very
soon after failed to recollect the occasion, he described the form and size of
the said Urim and Thummim. The nearest approach to a retraction of my
testimony as given in the Fall River Herald and that given publicly in many
places from the stand from January, 1876, till now, is, that unless I altogether
misunderstood “Father Whitmer” on this point, he said the translation was
done by the aid of the Urim and Thummim. If he says he did not intend to
convey such an impression to my mind, then I say I regret that I misunder¬
stood him, and unintentionally have misrepresented him. But that I under¬
stood him as represented by me frequently I still affirm. If Father Whitmer

3. See VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICA¬
GO TIMES, AUG 1875.

4. See VI.A.8, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS’ HERALD, 13 OCT

1879.

INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS W. SMITH, 1876

will say over his own signature, that he never said, or at least never intended
to say, that Joseph possessed or used in translating the Book of Mormon, the
Urim and Thummim, I will agree to not repeat my testimony as seen in the
Fall River Herald on that point. 5

T. W. SMITH

5. Whitmer told Edward Stevenson that Smith first translated with the
urim and thummim but afterward used the seer stone (VI.A.5, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 22-23 DEC
1877). In his 1887 pamphlet, Whitmer stated that Smith put the “seer stone”
into his hat and translated (VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887,
12 ).

David Whitmer Interview

WITH EDWARD STEVENSON,

22-23 December 1877

1. Edward Stevenson, Journal, 14:10-18, entry of 22-23 December
1877, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Edward Stevenson to Orson Pratt, 23 December 1877, “Journal
History,” LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

3. Edward Stevenson to John Taylor, 7 January 1878, “Journal His¬
tory,” LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

4. Edward Stevenson to the Editor, 21 January 1878, Salt Lake Herald,
2 February 1878, 3.

5. Edward Stevenson, Reminiscences of Joseph, the Prophet and the Coming
Forth of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Edward Stevenson,
1893), 15.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Edward Stevenson (1820-97) 1 heard David Whitmer bear his testi¬
mony of the Book of Mormon in 1834 when Joseph Smith and others visited
Pontiac, Michigan (see I.A.9, JOSEPH SMITH RECITAL TO PONTIAC
[MI] SAINTS, OCT 1834). He visited Whitmer in Richmond, Ray
County, Missouri, on at least three occasions many years later: 22-23 De¬
cember 1877, 9 February 1886, and 2 January 1887 (see also VI.A.27,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 9
FEB 1886; and VI.A.31, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ED¬
WARD STEVENSON, 2 JAN 1887). The following transcriptions are
from Stevenson’s journal—an entry made about the time of his first inter¬
view with Whitmer—and sources wherein Stevenson reflects on this inter¬
view.

[1. Journal, 22-23 December 1877]

Satfurday] 22, [December 1877]. 2 after Breakfast wee took a walk up to

1. On Edward Stevenson, see introduction to IIIJ. 13, EDWARD
STEVENSON INTERVIEWS WITH MARTIN HARRIS, 1870.

2. Although dated 22 December, Stevenson evidently recorded his in-

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1877

David Whitmers the onley one of the 3 Witnesses of the Book of Mormon,
that is now Living & Spent 4 [hjours with him & again 4 [h]ours more in the
Evening it being about 9 P.M. Sc on Sunday Evening about 2 [h]ours again
So that in all wee Spent 10 [hjours hejajreing Sc being hefajrd [p. 10] and as I
was Successful in Emigrateing Martin Harris 3 to Utah, I hope Sc Pray that I
may be instrumental in the hands of the Lord in doing good Sc Bring Bro Da¬
vid to Zion. I will relate Some of the Items of Conversation as they Passed
between us.

Bro David Please relate your feelings in regard to the Testamoney of
yours in the Book of Mormon, Sc the orrigen of the Gosple through Joseph
Smith. “Well as I know that the Sun Shines So do I know that I was Plowing
one fore=noon Sc I hefajrd a voice Sc Saw a personage Who Said [JBlessed is
the Lord Sc he that keepeth his Commandments[’] Sc the very next Round
Bro. Joseph Sc Oliver Came along Sc Said [‘jCome David Sc be one of [p. 11]
the witnesses of the Book ofMormonf’] Wee walked through A clearing Sc
all Sat on a log[.] it was about 11 A.M. When A Light appeared Sc it Grew
Brighter until an Angle Stood before us and on the appearance of A table Was
laid the Platesf,] Urim Sc Thuminf,] Ball or Directorf,] Sword of Laban See Sc
A voice Declared Sc Bore record of the truth of the Translation turning the
Leaves over Sc thus the vision ended. [”]

David Whitmer is 73 in Jan. 1878, & Stands 5 [feet], 10in[ches]. [tall] &
Weighs 150 lbs. fair Sc Prominent Features, he has only one Son David Sc one
Daughter Now A Widdow. Wee [When he] had Shown us the Transcript
Coppy of the original of the Book of Mormon Written by [p. 12] Martin
Harris, Oliver Cowdery, 4 Ema Smith, D the Prophets Wife, Sc Ch[r]istian
Whitmer. 6 it was fools Cap Sc about 2 inches thick Sc clean Sc well Preserved,
he Gave us the Names of the 6 at the organisation of the Churchf:] 7

terviews after the conclusion of his last meeting with Whitmer on the evening of
the subsequent day, 23 December.

3. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

5. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

6. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96. The printer’s copy that David Whitmer possessed bears
the handwriting of three individuals: Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, and an
unknown scribe (see Skousen 2001, 9-10).

7. Regarding Whitmer’s list of initiating elders, see introduction to
IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11 AUG 1862.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

1 Joseph Smith <Jr>

2 Oliver Cowdry

3 David Whitmer

4 Hyrum Smith 8

5 John Whitmer 9

6 Christian Whitmer

[A]s near as he could remember it was about Diner [noon] time at Peter
Whitmers house, 10 thare was presant about 40 or 50 Persons Mostly Mem¬
bers of the Church at Ft [Fayette] N[ew]. Yorkf.] 11 his testamoney is as
Strong as Possible that Joseph Smith did receive Revelations 8c did organise
the Church With apostles [p. 13] 8c Gifts on the Rock [cf. Matt. 16:15-19].
... his testamoney was now going [to] the World over in the Book of Mor¬
mon [p. 14] <David Said that the Prophet translated first by the uirm 8c
thumim & afterwards by A Seer Stone—Efdward] Stevenson.> ... [p. 15]

Sunday [December] 23d [1877] ... Paid our Last visit to David W[hitmer]. ...
[p. 16] <saw one of the Nephites> I wish to mention an Item of conversation
with David Whitmer in regard to Seeing one of the Nephites. Zina Y oung, 12
Desired me to ask about it. David Said. [“]Oliver [Cowdery], 8c the Prophet,
& I were riding in a wagon, 8c an aged man about 5 feet 10 [inches tall],
heavey Set & on his back an old fashioned Armey knapsack Strap [p]ed over
his Shoulders 8c Something Square in it, 8c he walked alongside of the
Wagon & Wiped the Sweat off his face, Smileing very Pleasantf”] David
asked him to ride and he replied [“]I am going across to the hill Comorah. [”]
Soon after they passed they felt Strangely & Stop[p]ed, but could See nothing
of him all arround was clear 8c they asked the Lord about it[.] he Said that the
Prophet Looked as White as a Sheet 8c Said that it was one [p. 17] of the

8. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

9. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

10. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

11. The number of members present indicates that Whitmer is likely mis¬
taken about the location of the church’s organization, confusing the first church
conference of 9 June 1830 (see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n.
82; and IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11 AUG 1862).

12. Zina D. (Huntington) Young (1821-1901) was born at Watertown,
Jefferson County, New York, where she and her parents joined the church in
1835. In 1841 she became a plural wife tojoseph Smith. After Smith’s death, she
married Brigham Young.

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1877

Nephites & that he had the Plates. 13 on arriveing at home they were im¬
pressed that the Same Person was under the Shed & again they were in¬
formed that it was So. they Saw whare <he> had been & the next Morning
Davids Mother [Mary Musselman Whitmer] 14 Saw the Person at the Shed
and he took the Plates from A Box & Showed them to her[.] She Said that
they Were fastened with Rings thus: © he turned the leaves over this was a
Satisf[ac]t[io]n to her. 15 ... [p. 18]

[2. Letter to Orson Pratt, 23 December 1877] 16

Hudgins House, Richmond, Ray Co., Mo.
Dec 23<d>, 18770

Orson Pratt, 17
Salt Lake City,

Dear Bro: I have just returned from the third interview with David
Whitmer, since our arrival at this place, night before last. David Looks pretty
well preserved, and weighs heavier than ever before 152 lbs; and stands 5 feet
10, fair, and prominent features. Bro. Hyrum Clark 18 and myself met him at
his own fireside and were made welcome, and he was very free to converse,
each interview lasting several hours. I asked him in regard to the names of the
six members at the organization of the Church on the 6th day of April 1830,

13. The context of the story is Whitmer’s conveyance of Joseph Smith
and Oliver Cowdery from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Fayette, New York, in
early June 1829. Whitmer repeated this to Stevenson on 9 February 1886 (see
VI.A.27, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVEN¬
SON, 9 FEB 1886).

14. On Mary Musselman Whitmer (1778-1856), see I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 101.

15. For another account of Mary Whitmer’s experience, see VI.C.4,
JOHN C. WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH AND FLEW JENSON AND
EDWARD STEVENSON, 11 OCT 1888.

16. My transcription is from a typescript of the original, which is presum¬
ably in the now closed Orson Pratt Papers, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah. The typescript has some corrections in hand, indicated here by angle
brackets.

17. On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

18. Perhaps the Hiram Clark, age four, listed with his mother, Thankful
Clark, in the 1850 census of Salt Lake City, Utah (1850:30).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

and he gave them as follows: 1st Joseph Smith, 2<,> Oliver Cowdery,
3rd<,> David Whitmer, 4th<,> Hyrum Smith, 5<,> John Whitmer, 6<,>
Christian Whitmer and as near as he could remember<,> about 12 m.
[noon] dinner time. He also said that there were 40 or 50 persons present
many of whom were in the Church.

He showed us the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon written
by 4 <four> different persons<,> Martin Harris<,> Oliver Cowdery<,>
Emma Smith, and Christian Whitmer. It was clean and well cared for, writ¬
ten on foo<l>scap, and about 2 inches thick. It came into his hands from Ol¬
iver Cowdery at his death, who lived in this place at the time of his death, and
now he is [interred] by the side of both the father and the mother of David
Whitmer<,> and some others of the Whitmer family, about half a mile north
of Richmond. We visited the spot to-day. ... We asked David Whitmer in
regard to his faith in the Book of Mormon. He smiled and his countenance lit
up, saying, “As I know the sun shines so I know an angel appeared while Jo¬
seph, Oliver and myself sat upon a log in a clearing about 11 o’clock in the
morning.”, a light first appearing which grew brighter until the angel stood
before them and placed upon a table before them the plates of gold, also the
brass plates, [p. 3] the Urim and Thum<m>im (or interpreters) the ball or
compass and the sword of Laban. He said there could be nothing to induce
him to deny these things. He further stated that he knew that Joseph was a
prophet, and did receive revelations and that he organized the Church on the
rock with the 12 Apostles. ...

With kind regards,
E. STEVENSONO

P.S. Martin Harris was not with Oliver and David, but subsequently wit¬
nessed the plates, etc. probably the next day. 19

E.S.

[3. Letter to John Taylor, 7 January 1878 ] 20

Shady Grove, Hickman County,
Tenn.

Jan 7th 1878

19. The claim that Harris may have seen the plates the day after the experi¬
ence of Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer is contradicted by Lucy Smith,
who remembered the four men returning to Peter Whitmer’s house afterwards
and Harris in particular testifying about the vision.

20. My transcription has been taken from a typed version of the original

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1877

President John Taylor, 21
Salt Lake City,

Dear Brother:—I am happy to say that Brother Clark and myself ar¬
rived in this place Dec. 28th, 1877 in safety and in good health. We stopped
over at R. and L. Junction<,> Mo. 5 miles from Richmond, Mo. where af¬
ter putting up at the Hadgin’s Hotel, we found David Whitmer, the only sur¬
viving one of the Three Witnesses of the Book ofMormon. With the excep¬
tion of rh[e]umatism he seems to enjoy good health, possessing fair and
prominent features. After being kindly received we held four hours conver¬
sation, and met again, and spent four hours more in the evening; the next day
Sabbath, two hours more. We found him quite communicative and cheer¬
ful, and seemed pleased to receive us. After some conversation he showed us
the original manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon, written by Martin
Harris, David Whitmer, Emma Smith and Christian Whitmer, it was about
two inches thick, of foolscap and clean and well preserved. It fell into his
hands through the death of Oliver Cowdery, who died and was buried north
of Richmond where lie the remains of Peter Whitmer and his wife—both
are father and mother of David Whitmer. We asked him regarding the names
of the six at the organization of the Church, April 6th, 1830 [and] he stated as
follows:

1st. Joseph Smith, Jr. [,] 2nd, Oliver Cowdery, 3rd, David Whitmerf,]
4th Hyrum Smith<,> 5th John Whitmer<,> 6th Christian Whitmer. There
were about forty or fifty present, many of whom had been baptized<,> this
[conversation] took place about noon.

I also desired him to state his present faith in regard to the Book ofMor¬
mon and [the] organization of the Church. He stated in the most positive
terms that he saw the angel, golden plates, and the urim and thumim, etc.
The plates were opened leaf by leaf, he saw the characters and heard a voice
from heaven bearing record, that he also knew that the Prophet Joseph did
translate the Book of Mormon by the power of God, that he did receive rev¬
elation^ > and that the Church was built on the Rock, and that it was re¬
vealed [p. 2] that there were to be Twelve Apostles, long before they were
chosen <a>nd ordained. ... He related many very interesting items of seeing
one of the Nephites in company with the Prophet and Oliver, when Joseph’s
countenance became almost transparent, etc. ...

presumably in the now closed John Taylor Papers, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah. The typed version also has some corrections in hand.

21. On John Taylor (1808-87), see introduction to I.A.27, JOHN TAY¬
LOR ACCOUNT, 1850.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

EDWARD STEVENSON.

[4. Letter to Salt Lake Herald, 21 January 1878]

SANDY GROVE,
Hickman Co., Tenn.,
January 21, 1878.

Editors Herald:

This, my fourteenth trip across the plains—five times by team and nine
by train, was a successful one in every particular; no accident of any descrip¬
tion on the whole route. The weather was delightful, and the scarcity of
snow at this season of the year was very remarkable.

One of the occasions of my present trip was a desire to visit and con¬
verse with David Whitmer, the only one of the three witnesses to the Book
of Mormon now living. On the 22d ult. I visited him at Richmond, Mo.,
and since that time have had three interviews with him, occupying in all
about ten hours. Mr. Whitmer is 73 years of age; 5 feet 10 in height; well pro¬
portioned, and possesses good physical abilities. I found him in a pleasant
mood and very communicative on various topics. In reply to a question by
me, as to his present views as a witness to the plates of the Book of Mormon,
he said: “I was plowing in my field, when I heard a voice saying, ‘Blessed is
the name of the Lord and those that keep his commandments.’ After I had
plowed one more round, the prophet and Oliver Cowdery came along, and
said: ‘Come and be one of the witnesses.’ We passed through a clearing and
sat on a log. While there, a light appeared, which grew brighter, until an an¬
gel stood before them with the plates and other things. The angel turned the
leaves so that we could see the engravings, etc. We then heard a voice, saying
that those things were true and that the translation was correct. This was
about 11 o’clock a.m.”

Mr. Whitmer also showed me the original manuscript of the Book of
Mormon, written by Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, Emma Smith and
Christian Whitmer. This fell into the present owner’s hands at the death of
Oliver Cowdery, and is now held as a choice relic. Mr. Cowdery died at the
residence of Mr. Whitmer, in Richmond, Ray county, Missouri. ...

EDWARD STEVENSON.

[5. Reminiscence, 1893]

... It was likewise stated to me by David Whitmer in the year 1877 that
Oliver Cowdery told him that the Prophet Joseph and himself had seen this

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1877

room [in the Hill Cumorah] and that it was filled with treasure, and on a table
therein were the breastplate and the sword of Laban, as well as the portion of
gold plates not yet translated, and that these plates were bound by three small
gold rings, and would also be translated, as was the first portion in the days of
Joseph. When they are translated much useful information will be brought to
light. But till that day arrives, no Rochester adventurers shall ever see them
or the [p. 14] treasures, although science and mineral rods testify that they are
there. 22 ...

22. On Oliver Cowdery’s visit to the cave, see III.K.30, BRIGHAM
YOUNG ACCOUNT, 1877.

6 .

David whitmer Interview

WITH P. WILHELM POULSON,
Circa April 1878

P. Wilhelm Poulson to Editor, 13 August 1878, Deseret Evening News, 16
August 1878.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Little is known about P. Wilhelm Poulson. He is listed in the Gazetteer
of Utah and Salt Lake City Directory for 1874 as “Poulson, P. W. homaeo-
pathic physician, residence]. Godbe’s building” (Slone 1874). Poulson’s first
letter to the Deseret News editors, dated 31 July 1878, was written from Ovid,
Idaho (see VI.B.7, JOHN WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH P. WIL¬
HELM POULSON, APR 1878), and the present letter was written from
Ogden, Utah. The editor introduces the letter as follows: “We publish the
following, the chief portions of a letter received from Dr. Poulson contain¬
ing particulars of an interview with David Whitmer. We cannot afford space
for the whole of the communication but give those portions which are likely
to prove interesting to our readers, without being responsible for any of the
statements made therein.” The interview was probably conducted about the
same time as Poulson’s interview with John Whitmer, that is, in April 1878
(see VI.B.7, JOHN WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH P. WILHELM
POULSON, APR 1878).

In a letter to S. T. Mouch, 18 November 1882, David Whitmer com¬
plained about Poulson’s account of the interview: “As to what you Say about
the correspondence published by P Wilhelm Poulson M D Augfust] 20th
1878. I surely did not make the Statement which you Say he reports me to
have made, for it is not according to the facts. And I have always in the fear of
God, tried to give a true statement to the best of my recollection in regard to
all matters which I have attempted to Explain. And I do not now remember
of talking to Mr Poulson on the subject referred to” (Whitmer Collection,
RLDS Church [now Community of Christ] Library-Archives, Independ¬
ence, Missouri). Unfortunately, we do not know what portion of the inter¬
view Whitmer referred to since we do not have Mouch’s letter of inquiry.
That there was an inaccuracy suggests that Poulson probably did not keep
careful notes during his interviews. At the end of the present account,
Poulson states that his conversation “was mostly written down word for word

INTERVIEW WITH P. WILHELM POULSON, 1878

half an hour after the interview” (emphasis added). “Mostly” suggests that in
some instances it may have gone beyond his notes and drew from memory
about four months later.

OGDEN CITY, August 13, 1878.

Editors Deseret News:

Several persons have inquired of me about David Whitmer, especially
since the publication in the NEWS of the letter about the late John
Whitmer. 1 If the DESERET NEWS will give the space in its columns it will
afford me pleasure to write what I know about him from my visit to Rich¬
mond, Mo., and also my personal conversation with him.

He is now 73 years old but is a wonderfully well preserved man, tall and
erect as a pine, well proportioned, with a military bearing, Roman nose and
dark eyes full of fire and expression. His forehead is broad and large, and his
head nearly bald, but well balanced.

In company with a son and grandson, Mr. Whitmer keeps a livery and
feed stable at Richmond, Mo., the old grandfather is principally relieved
from business, but he makes his regular trips down to the stables, and to the
minute as in olden time.

David Whitmer’s sister was married to Oliver Cowdery, 2 whose re¬
mains rest in the graveyard at Richmond, and who practised law in that town
from 1838 to 1849, 3 when he died in full faith and bore testimony about his
visions. On his death-bed he requested to be buried without any display or
large attendance, and he wanted no gravestone to be erected over his ashes.
David Whitmer said that his brother-in-law was, in many respects, a peculiar
man. David’s brother, Jacob Whitmer, 4 one of the [eight] witnesses, lived
and died in Richmond, and his grave is only a short distance from
Cowdery’s. On Jacob’s grave is erected a fine marble stone. On the top of the
stone appears his name and next we discover the cut of the Book of Mormon

1. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection”; also VI.B.7, JOHN WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH P. WIL¬
HELM POULSON, 13 AUG 1878.

2. Cowdery married Elizabeth Ann Whitmer (1815-92) on 18 Decem¬
ber 1832 in Jackson County, Missouri. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “In¬
troduction to Oliver Cowdery Collection.”

3. Rather, Cowdery practiced law in Tiffin, Ohio, during this period
(see R. L. Anderson 1981, 37-65).

4. On Jacob Whitmer (1800-56), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 98.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

laid open, with a blooming rose resting on the divide, and the book resting
on the closed up Bible. Jacob Whitmer died April 21, 1856, aged, 56 years, 2
months and 26 days.

After a self introduction to David Whitmer and some general conversa¬
tion, I remarked to him:

I—You are one of the three witnesses?

He—I am one of them.

I—And you saw the angel, and he showed you the plates?

He—The Book of Mormon is true, as true as any record can be. I saw
the angel, and I saw the sword of Laban, and the breast-plate, and the Urim
and Thummin, and the plates, and the director, and the angel stood before
us, and he turned the leaves one by one.

I—Did the angel turn all the leaves before you as you looked on it?

He—No, not all, only that part of the book which was not sealed, and
what there was sealed appeared as solid to my view as wood.

I—How many of the plates were sealed?

He—About the half of the book was sealed. Those leaves which were
not sealed, about the half of the first part of the book, were numerous, and
the angel turned them over before our eyes. There is yet to be given a transla¬
tion about Jared’s people’s doings and of Nephi, and many other records and
books, which all has to be done, when the time comes.

I—How large were the plates?

He—About eight inches wide and six or seven inches long, as they ap¬
peared a little wider than long, and three rings kept the plates together; one
above, one in the middle and one below, so the angel could turn every leaf
entirely over. The thickness was about of a common sheet of tin used by tin¬
smiths.

I—How did the engravings look?

He—They were characters. We copied some, and if you visit my
brother John, one of the eight witnesses, who wrote for Joseph, John can
show you some of the old manuscript which he borrowed from me. I must
have it returned to me again, as it belongs to the Church, in connection with
other records.

I—Martin Harris, 5 who died lately in Smithfield, Utah, gave a testi¬
mony in Salt Lake City Tabernacle that he saw the plates by [the] faith and
power of God.

He—Martin Harris is correct. He was not by us at all when we first saw

5. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

INTERVIEW WITH P. WILHELM POULSON, 1878

the angel. First when we told him what we had seen, and were the second
time in prayer all together, and when the angel appeared for a second time,
we saw Martin Harris by us, 6 and he saw, and we saw it, and our testimony,
which we give to the world, is true exactly as you read it, we saw by the gift
and power of God. As we were praying the angel stood before us in his glory,
and all those things were before us, as they were laid before us on a table, and
we heard the testimony about the plates, and we were commanded to bear
that testimony to the world, and our testimony is true. And when the angel
had finished his words, and shown us the plates, one by one, which were to
be translated, then the vision was closed at once, and exactly as it came even
so did the sight disappear.

I—But those things which you saw were material things, how could
they come and vanish away again?

He—It is the power of God. He does those things, and his angels know
how to do it. It was wonderful to us, but it was by the power of God. He had
appointed his angels to be the guardians of the plates and the other things, and
the angel knew how it was done.

I—Did the eight witnesses not handle the plates as a material substance?

He—We did not, but they did, because the faith ofjoseph became so
great that the angel, the guardian of the plates, gave the plates up to Joseph for
a time, that those eight witnesses could see and handle them.

I—Did not Joseph, at an earlier period, have the full possession of those
plates?

He—Yes, he did so in the commencement, but the persecution grew
so hot that the angel took possession of the records, and showed those things,
as he did, to Cowdery, Harris and me, in the presence ofjoseph, and after¬
wards he was allowed to show the plates to the eight witnesses.

I—Where are the plates now?

He—In a cave, where the angel has hidden them up till the time arrives
when the plates, which are sealed, shall be translated. God will yet raise up a
mighty one, who shall do his work till it is finished and Jesus comes again.

I—Where is that cave?

He—In the State of New York.

I—In the Hill of Cumorah?

He—No, but not far from that place. 7 I saw the place where the plates

6. This version conflicts with the account in Joseph Smith’s history
which places Harris’s vision on the same day but entirely separate from that of
the other two witnesses and is therefore highly questionable (see I.A. 15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 24-25).

7. Possibly a reference to “Miner’s Hill,” also located in Manchester,

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

were found, and a great many did so, and it awakened an excitement at the
time, because the worst enemies of “Mormonism” stirred up the confusion
by telling about the plates which Joseph found, and the “gold bible” which
he was in possession of, so he was in constant danger of being robbed and
killed.

I—How did the place look?

He—It was a stone box, and the stones looked to me as if they were ce¬
mented together. That was on the side of the hill, and a little down from the
top. 8

I—How did you know Joseph to be at that time?

He—As a very humble and meek man, and very simple minded indeed.
He did the will of the Lord, and an arduous task it was to translate the Book of
Mormon.

I—Did Joseph use the Urim and Thummim when he translated?

He—The Urim and Thummim were two white stones, each of them
cased in as spectacles are, in a kind of silver casing, but the bow between the
stones was more heavy, and longer apart between the stones, than we usually
find it in spectacles. Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, Emma 9 and my brother
John 10 each at different times, wrote for Joseph as he translated. ... n

This conversation was mostly written down word for word half an
hour after the interview with David Whitmer, Esq., who will recognize it as
his words, and I send it that the public may form a better idea about this truly
remarkable man.

Yours truly,

P. WILHELM POULSON, M.D.

New York (see III.B.12, LORENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 17 SEP
1884, 8; III.B.15, LORENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 12 NOV 1884,
8 ).

8. Regarding Whitmer’s claim of seeing the place of deposit, see VI.A.3,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, AUG 1875,
n. 18.

9. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

10. For John Whitmer’s help as a scribe, see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 22.

11. Unrelated material deleted (see Cook 1991, 23-24).

David Whitmer interview with
Orson Pratt and Joseph f. Smith,
7-8 September 1878

1. Joseph F. Smith, Diary, 7-8 September 1878, LDS Church Ar¬
chives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. ‘‘Report of Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith,” Deseret News,
16 November 1878; reprinted in the Millennial Star 40 (9 December
1878): 771-74.

3. Joseph F. Smith, Address, 25 April 1918, Joseph F. Smith Collec¬
tion, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

David Whitmer was interviewed by LDS apostles Orson Pratt 1 and Jo¬
seph F. Smith 2 on 7 and 8 September 1878, in Richmond, Missouri, only
three months after the Great Cyclone of 1878 destroyed about one-third of
the town of Richmond, severely damaging the homes of David Whitmer
and Jacob Whitmer and the G. W. Schweich & Co. livery stables. The tor¬
nado killed eighteen people (see History of Ray County, Missouri [St. Louis:
Missouri Historical Co., 1881]). Three versions of the interview are repro¬
duced below (see also “David Whitmer Addendum”).

[1. Joseph F. Smith Diary, 7-8 September 1878] 3

While sitting in the clerk’s, or reception, room of the hotel, conversing
with the proprietor, David Whitmer—one of the Three Witnesses to the

1. On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

2. On Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918), son of Hyrum and Mary Fielding
Smith and sixth president of the church, see Jenson 1971, 1:66, 3:781, 4:246,
319,341.

3. Because access to the original journal was denied, I have taken the fol¬
lowing transcription from Cook 1991, 24-34, who states: “Except for his cor¬
recting spelling and punctuation errors and omitting a few lines, Joseph Fielding
Smith’s [son of Joseph F. Smith] published version of this interview (in Life of Jo¬
seph F. Smith) is true to Joseph F. Smith’s diary account. We have, therefore,

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Book of Mormon—came by, and was called in and introduced to Brother
Pratt and me. He seemed somewhat surprised and delighted at seeing his old
acquaintance, Orson Pratt. After a few moments conversation he left us say¬
ing he would come back to see us again. When he returned he was in com¬
pany with Col. Childs, 4 we accompanied them to Whitmer and Co.’s livery
stables office, where we were introduced to Dfavid]. Whitmer’s son, David
J., 5 and grandson, George Schweich, 6 John C. Whitmer, 7 son of Jacob
Whitmer, Col. James W. Black 8 and several other gentlemen. We spent an
hour in desultory conversation, on matters generally relative to Utah, and
parted for dinner, agreeing to meet Mr. [David] Whitmer at his office again
at 4:30. He apologized for not inviting us to his house, saying he and his fam¬
ily were “worn-out” and it was “washday.” He said the heat affected his
head, and he had to be very careful of his health. He was born Jan. 7, 1805,
making him 73 years old last January, eleven months and sixteen days older
than the Prophet Joseph Smith. At 4:30 Brother Pratt and I, agreeable to
promise, called at Mr. Whitmer’s office, where we found Messrs. James R.

used the more accessible published account, adding the minor omissions left out
by Joseph Fielding Smith.” Cf. Joseph Fielding Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith (Salt
Lake City, 1938), 241-49. Unrelated material has been deleted with ellipses.

4. Jacob T. Child (1833-?) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After
serving a five-year apprenticeship in the office of the Richmond (Virginia) Whig
and editing several papers in Missouri, Child became owner and editor of the
Richmond Conservator. He was also visible in state politics and was elected as
Richmond’s mayor in the late 1870s (History of Ray County, Mo., 1881, 513-15).
Child is listed in the 1870 census of Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, as a
thirty-seven-year-old “Publisher” (1870:587). Although a non-Mormon, he
vigorously defended David Whitmer’s integrity in the columns of his paper (see,
e.g., Richmond Conservator, 22 August 1884).

5. David J. Whitmer, age thirty-six, is listed in the 1870 census of Rich¬
mond, Ray County, Missouri, as a livery stable keeper (1870:587).

6. George W. Schweich (1853-1926), son of Julia Whitmer Schweich, is
listed in the 1870 census of Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, as a seven-
teen-year-old “School Student” (1870:587).

7. John C. Whitmer is listed with his wife, Mary, in the 1870 census of
Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, as a thirty-five-year-old farmer (1870:557).

8. James W. Black appears in the 1870 census of Richmond, Ray
County, Missouri, as a forty-five-year-old lawyer from Virginia (1870:587). He
was married to Susan Child, sister of Jacob T. Child ( History of Ray County, Mo.,
1881,514).

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

B. Vancleave, 9 John C. Whitmer, W. W. Warner 10 and George Schweich.
Soon after Father David came in. The office being rather too public for any
private conversation, we invited the party to our room at the hotel, to which
they consented. When comfortably seated the following questions were
asked and answered:

Orson Pratt: “Can you tell the date of the restoration of the Apostleship
by Peter, James and John?”

David Whitmer: “I do not know. Joseph never told me. I can only tell
you what I know: I will not testify to anything I do not know.” 11

Joseph F. Smith: “Did Oliver Cowdery 12 die here in Richmond?”

David Whitmer: “Yes, he lived here about a year, I think, before his
death; he died in my father’s house, right here.”

Orson Pratt: “Do you remember what time you saw the plates?”

David Whitmer: “It was in June 1829, the very last part of the month,
and the eight witnesses, I think, the next day. Joseph showed them the plates
himself. We (the Three Witnesses) not only saw the plates of the Book of
Mormon, but the Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wick¬
edness of the people of the world, and many other plates. The fact is, it was
just as though Joseph, Oliver and I were sitting right here on a log, when we
were overshadowed by a light. It was not like the light of the sun, nor like
that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful. It extended away round us, I
cannot tell how far, but in the midst of this light, immediately before us,
about as far off as he sits (pointing to John C. Whitmer who was sitting 2 or 3
feet from him) there appeared, as it were, a table, with many records on it,
besides the plates of the Book of Mormon; also the sword of Laban, the Di¬
rectors (i.e. the ball which Lehi had) and the Interpreters. 13 1 saw them just as
plain as I see this bed (striking his hand upon the bed beside him), and I heard

9. James R. B. Van Cleave (1853-?) was born in Knoxville, Knox
County, Illinois. Educated at Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, he became sec¬
retary to Illinois state senator W. J. Campbell. Van Cleave was an active Repub¬
lican and a traveling correspondent for the New York Herald and Chicago Times. In
1882 he married Josephine Helen Schweich of Richmond, Missouri, grand¬
daughter of David Whitmer, which explains his presence at the Whitmer resi¬
dence (Raum 1900, 26, 271).

10. W. W. Warner remains unidentified.

11. See VI.A.24, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ZENAS
H. GURLEY, 14 JAN 1885.

12. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

13. See D&C 17:1.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

the voice of the Lord as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life declaring
that they (the plates) were translated by the gift and power of God.”

Orson Pratt: “Did you see the Angel at this time?”

David Whitmer: “Yes, he stood before us. Martin Harris 14 was not
with us at this time. I don’t think he saw all that we did, but our testimony as
recorded in the Book of Mormon is strictly and absolutely true just as it is
there written. Before I knew anything about Joseph Smith I had heard about
him and the plates from persons who declared they knew he had them and
swore they would get them from him, and that he had promised them an in¬
terest in them when he should get them. The fact is he could not, for they
were not to be made merchandise of, nor to be a matter of profit to any
one—they were strictly for sacred purposes, and when Oliver Cowdery
went to Pennsylvania he promised to write me what he should learn about
the matter, which he did. He told me Joseph had told him his [Oliver’s] se¬
cret thoughts and all he had meditated about going to see him, which no man
on earth knew, as he supposed, but himself. 15 So he stopped to write for Jo¬
seph. 16 Soon after this Joseph sent for me to come to Harmony, to get him
and Oliver and bring them to my father’s house. 17 I did not know what to do.
I was pressed with my work. I had some 20 acres to plow and so I concluded I
would finish plowing, and then go. One morning I got up as usual to go to
work. On going to the field I found between 5 and 7 acres of my ground had
been plowed during the night. I don’t know who did it, but it was done, just
as I would have done it myself, and the plow was left standing in the furrow.
This enabled me to start sooner. When I arrived at Harmony, Joseph and Ol¬
iver were coming toward me, and met me some little distance from the
house. Oliver told me that Joseph had told him when I started from home,
where I had stopped the first night, how I read the sign at the tavern, where I
stopped the next night and that I would be there that day before dinner, and
this was why they had come out to meet me, all of which was exactly as Jo¬
seph had told Oliver, at which I was greatly astonished. 18 When I was return¬
ing to Fayette with Joseph and Oliver, all of us riding in the wagon, Oliver
and I on an old fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us, we were
suddenly approached by a very pleasant, nice looking old man in a clear open

14. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

15. See D&C 6.

16. Oliver Cowdery began as scribe on 7 April 1829.

17. This occurred in early June 1829.

18. See VI. A. 17, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H.
HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10 MAR 1884.

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

place, who saluted us with ‘Good morning, it is very warm,’ at the same in¬
stant wiping his face or forehead with his hand. We returned the salutation
and by a sign from Joseph I invited him to ride if he was going our way, but
he said very pleasantly, ‘No, I am going to Cumorah.’ This was something
new to me, I did not know what Cumorah meant, and as I looked
enquiringly at Joseph, the old man instantly disappeared so that I did not see
him again.”

Joseph F. Smith: “Did you notice his appearance?”

David Whitmer: “I should think I did. He was, I should think, about 5
feet 9 or 10 inches and heavy set, about such a man as James Vancleave, there,
but heavier. His face was as large. He was dressed in a suit of brown, woolen
clothes; his hair and beard were white, about like Brother Pratt’s, but his
beard was not so heavy. I also remember that he had a sort of knapsack on his
back, and something was in it which was shaped like a book. It was the mes¬
senger who had the plates.

“Soon after our arrival home, I saw something which led me to the be¬
lief that the plates were placed or concealed in my father’s barn. I frankly
asked Joseph if my supposition was right, and he told me it was.

“Sometime after this my mother was going to milk the cows when she
was met out near the barn by this same old man, (as I suppose from her de¬
scription of him) who said to her ‘you have been very faithful and diligent in
your labours but you are tried because of the increase of your toil, it is proper
therefore that you should receive a witness, that your faith may be strength¬
ened’ and thereupon he showed her the plates. My Father and Mother had a
large family of their own. The addition to it therefore of Joseph, Emma and
Oliver very greatly increased the toil and anxiety of my mother and altho she
had never complained she had sometimes felt that her labor was too much or
at least she was beginning to feel so. This circumstance however completely
removed all such feelings and nerved her up for her increased responsibili-

• „19

ties.

Orson Pratt: “Have you any idea when the records will be brought
forth?”

David Whitmer: “When we see things in the Spirit and by the power of
God they seem to be right here present. The signs of the times indicate the
near approach of the coming forth of the other plates, but when it will be, I
cannot tell. The Three Nephites are at work among the lost tribes and else-

19. See VI.C.4, JOHN C. WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH AN¬
DREW JENSON AND EDWARD STEVENSON, 11 OCT 1888.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

where. John the Revelator is at work, and I believe the time will come sud¬
denly, before we are prepared for it.”

Orson Pratt: “Have you got the original manuscript of the Book of
Mormon?”

David Whitmer: “I have. It is in Oliver Cowdery’s handwriting. He
placed it in my care at his death, and charged me to preserve it as long as I
lived. It is safe, and well preserved.”

Joseph F. Smith: “What will you do with it at your death?”

David Whitmer: “I will leave it with my nephew, David Whitmer, son
of my brother Jacob and my namesake.”

Orson Pratt: “Would you not part with it?”

David Whitmer: “No. Oliver charged me to keep it and Joseph said my
father’s house should keep the records. I consider these things sacred and
would not barter them for money.”

Joseph F. Smith: “We would not offer you money in the light of barter¬
ing for the manuscript, but we would like to see them preserved in some
manner where they would be safe from casualties and from the caprice of
men, in some institution that will not die as a man does.” 20

David Whitmer: “This is all right. While camping around here in a tent
and all my effects exposed to the weather, everything in the trunk where the
manuscript was kept became mouldy, but that was preserved, not even being
discolored.”

His camping in a tent had reference to their circumstances after the de¬
struction of their property by the cyclone. His barn and dwelling having
been destroyed, save and except only the room in his house in which the re¬
cord, or manuscript, was kept. This was spared, not even the ceiling being se¬
riously impaired. This event by the whole family and connections is accepted

20. Subsequently Whitmer claimed that Smith and Pratt had offered him
“a fabulous price” for the manuscript (see VI.A.13, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITYJOURNAL, 1JUN 1881). In 1901, Joseph
F. Smith denied this: “It [the manuscript] has been repeatedly offered to us, and
numerous false reports have been put in circulation with regard to our desire to
obtain possession of it, but we have at no time regarded it as of any value, neither
have we ever offered any money to procure it, all the stories to the contrary not¬
withstanding, for we have always known it was not the original, as aforesaid, and
as many editions of the Book of Mormon have been printed, and tens of thou¬
sands of copies of it circulated throughout the world you can readily perceive
that this manuscript really is of no value to anyone” (Joseph F. Smith to Samuel
Russell, 19 March 1901, Russell Collection, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah; cited in Cook 1991, 257-58).

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

as a miraculous interposition of Divine Providence, for the preservation of
the sacred treasure.

“Do you think,” said Philfander] Page, 21 a son of Hiram Page, 22 one of
the Eight Witnesses, “that the Almighty cannot take care of his own?”

Sunday, Sept. 8, 1878.1 enjoyed a very comfortable night’s rest and felt
somewhat better this morning, though I am still troubled with cough. Some
little time after breakfast Brother Pratt and I went down to David Whitmer’s
office, and from there, by invitation, returned to his house. Here we met Da¬
vid C. Whitmer, son ofjacob Whitmer, whom we had not before seen, and
several others, among whom was Philander Page, the son of Hiram Page,
one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. After the usual cere¬
mony of introduction, David Whitmer brought out and showed us the
manuscript of the Book of Mormon, mostly in the handwriting of Oliver
Cowdery, some of the writings was thought to be in the handwriting ofjohn
and Christian Whitmer, but only comparatively a few pages. 23 The fact also
appeared that the names of all the witnesses were subscribed in the handwrit¬
ing of Oliver Cowdery. When the question was asked David Whitmer if he
and the other witnesses did not subscribe their own names to the respective
testimonies, he replied that they did. Then he was asked, “Where are the
original documents?” That he did not know, but supposed Oliver had cop¬
ied them, but this was an exact copy. Someone suggested that he ought to
certify to it, he being the only witness left, but the lawyer, Mr. David C.
Whitmer, son ofjacob, thought he had better take time to reflect about it.

I suggested that it was possible there were two copies, but this was flatly
denied by Brother David Whitmer, who said according to the best of his
knowledge there never was but the one copy. Now herein he is evidently
mistaken, as Joseph Smith expressly states in his history that before the Ms.
[manuscript] was sent to the printers an exact copy was made and it is my be¬
lief that this is that copy and not the original, or if it is the original then there

21. Philander Alma Page (1832-1919) was the son of Book of Mormon
witness Hiram Page. Philander is listed in the 1870 census of Grape Grove, Ray
County, Missouri, as a thirty-eight-year-old farmer, originally from Ohio
(1870:449).

22. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

23. Brigham Young University professor Royal Skousen has identified, in
the printer’s manuscript, the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith,
and an unknown scribe (see Skousen 2001, 9-10).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

is another copy, or was, and with that no doubt are the actual signatures of
the eleven witnesses to their respective testimonies. 2

Brother Pratt felt closely after the subject of procuring the Ms. [manu¬
script], but we found that this was impossible to all human appearances. The
whole Whitmer family are deeply impressed with the sacredness of this relic,
and are actually so imbued with the idea and faith that it is under the immedi¬
ate protection of the Almighty, that not only the Ms. [manuscript] itself is
safe from all possible contingencies, but that it is a souvenir of protection to
the place, or house, in which it might be kept, to the possessor. I do not
therefore believe they could be induced to part with it for love or money,
nor fear or favor. ...

25 [After supper that same evening, David Whitmer, J. B. R. Vancleave
and George Schweich came to the room in the hotel occupied by Elders
Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith and spent much of the evening with them
conversing on many subjects. ... On this occasion, David Whitmer] again
confirmed & repeated the circumstances of the messenger showing the Plates
of the Book of Mormon to his mother[, this messenger being] the same per¬
son who appeared to them on the road from Harmony [,] Susquehana Co, Pa.
to Fayette, Seneca Co.[,] N.Y. He also repeated the names of the plates he
and Oliver and Joseph saw viz the Book of Mormon, of Ether, the Brass
Plates, and the plates containing the Record of all the secret combinations,
sins & abominations of the world since Adam to the time they were en¬
graved, with the sword of Laban—the “Directors” and the “Interpreters.”

I always knew that David Whitmer’s testimony was true, since I re¬
ceived the witness myself, but now I know that David Whitmer is as con-

24. On another occasion, Joseph F. Smith recalled this part of his conver¬
sation with Whitmer: “I had the temerity to call the attention of Father Whitmer
to the fact that the manuscript in his possession was but the copy of the original,
and proved it to him by this circumstance: I asked him if he and the other wit¬
nesses each signed their own name to their testimony, and he unhesitatingly re¬
plied, ‘Yes, we each signed our name.’ Then I said, calling his attention to the
names of the witnesses as inscribed in the manuscript, ‘how is it that all these
names are written by one man?’ He eagerly grasped the manuscript containing
the testimony and glanced over the names. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I don’t know how
this is, Oliver must have copied them.’ Still he persisted [in the idea that] it was
the original manuscript, and not wishing to have an argument with him over the
matter I let it drop” (Joseph F. Smith to Samuel Russell, 19 March 1901, Russell
Collection, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah; cited in Cook 1991,
258-59).

25. Cook has inserted bracketed material from Joseph Fielding Smith, Life
of Joseph F. Smith (Salt Lake City, 1938), 248 (Cook 1991, 33, n. 6).

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

scious of the truth of that testimony as he is of his own existence. No man can
hear him tell his experience in these matters but he can see and sense that he is
conscientiously telling the truth of his own knowledge. Some might say he
was deceived, but I know that he was not. ...

The visit was an interesting one, but I regretted that the manuscript of
the Book of Mormon, even though it was the copy made for the printer, was
in the hands of men who were unworthy and who were surrounded by be¬
nighted, darkened minds.

[2. Published Interview, 16 November 1878]

NEW YORK CITY,
September 17, 1878.

President John Taylor and Council of the Twelve:

Dear Brethren.—We desire to make the following hastily written re¬
port of our mission to the Eastern States, which we would have made from
time to time as we journied along, but for the hurry and inconvenience of
daily travel. ...

At Richmond [Missouri] we put up at the Shaw House [which was,]
before the cyclone, a three-story brick building, but has [been] restored,
since the tempest, [to] only two stories, now kept by Mr. Warren Ewing,
son-in-law to the original proprietor Mr. S. Shaw, once a freighter to Utah,
now dead. On Saturday morning, Sept. 7th, we met Mr. David Whitmer,
the last remaining one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. He is a
good sized man, 73 years of age last January, and well preserved. (He was
born Jan. 7, 1805), he is close shaven, his hair perfectly white and rather thin,
he has a large head and a very pleasant, manly countenance that one would
readily perceive to be an index to a conscientious, honest heart. He seemed
wonderfully pleased as well as surprised at seeing Elder Orson Pratt. Said he
would not have known him [as] he had grown so fat and stout, he remem¬
bered him as a slender, bashful, timid boy. After a few moments conversation
he excused himself, saying he would return again to see us. This meeting was
in the bar-room of the hotel. When he called again he was in company with
Col. [Jacob T.] Childs, a middle aged man, and a resident of the place. By in¬
vitation we accompanied them to Mr. Whitmer’s office, where we were in¬
troduced to Mr. Mr. David J. Whitmer, (eldest son of David), Mr. Geofrge].
Schweich, (grandson of the old gentleman) [,] Mr. John C. Whitmer, (son of
Jacob Whitmer), Col. James W. Black, of Richmond, and several others. A
couple of hours were very pleasantly passed in conversation, principally on

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Utah matters, when we parted for dinner, agreeing to meet Mr. [David]
Whitmer again at his office at 4:30 p.m.

Agreeable to appointment we met Mr. Whitmer and his friends, at his
office, but as the place was too public for private conversation and as it
seemed impossible to obtain a private personal interview with David
Whitmer, by himself, we invited him and such of his friends as he saw proper
to fetch along, to our room in the hotel. Mr. Whitmer apologized for not in¬
viting us to his house, as it was “wash day,” and he and his wife were “worn
out” with the extra labor, exposure, &c., &c., consequent upon rebuilding
since the cyclone. He accepted our invitation to our room and brought with
him James R. B. Vancleave, (a fine looking, intelligent young newspaper
man of Chicago, who is paying his addresses to Miss Josephine Schweich
grand-daughter of David Whitmer) [,] George Schweich, (grandson), John
C. Whitmer, (son of Jacob), W. W. Warner, and another person whose
name we did not learn. In the presence of these the following, in substance, as
noticed in brother Joseph F. Smith’s journal, is the account of the interview.

Elder O. Pratt to D. Whitmer. Can you tell the date of the bestowal of
the Apostleship upon Joseph, by Peter, James and John?

D.W. I do not know, Joseph never told me. I can only tell you what I
know, for I will not testify to anything I do not know.

J.F.S. to D.W. Did Oliver Cowdery die here in Richmond?

D.W. Yes, he lived here, I think, about one year before his death. He
died in my father’s house[,] right here, in January, 1849. Phineas Young was
here at the time.

Elder O.P. Do you remember what time you saw the plates?

D.W. It was in June, 1829—the latter part of the month, and the eight
witnesses saw them, I think, the next day or the day after, (i.e. one or two
days after). Joseph showed them the plates himself, but the angel showed us
(the three witnesses) the plates, as I suppose to fulfil the words of the book it¬
self. Martin Harris was not with us at this time, he obtained a view of them af¬
terwards, (the same day). Joseph, Oliver and myself were together when I
saw them. We not only saw the plates of the Book of Mormon but also the
brass plates, the plates of the Book of Ether, the plates containing the records
of the wickedness and secret combinations of the people of the world down
to the time of their being engraved, and many other plates. The fact is[,] it
was just as though Joseph, Oliver and I were sittingjust here on a log, when
we were overshadowed by a light. It was not like the light of the sun nor like
that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful. It extended away round us, I
cannot tell how far, but in the midst of this light about as far off as he sits
(pointing to John C. Whitmer sitting a few feet from him), there appeared as
it were, a table with many records or plates upon it, besides the plates of the

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

Book of Mormon, also the Sword of Laban, the directors—i.e., the ball
which Lehi had, and the interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed
(striking the bed beside him with his hand), and I heard the voice of the Lord,
as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life, declaring that the records of
the plates of the Book ofMormon were translated [“]by the gift and power of
God.”

Elder O.P.—Did you see the Angel at this time?

D.W.—Yes; he stood before us, our testimony as recorded in the Book
ofMormon is strictly and absolutely true, just as it is there written. Before I
knew Joseph, I had heard about him and the plates from persons who de¬
clared they knew he had them, and swore they would get them from him.
When Oliver Cowdery went to Pennsylvania, he promised to write me what
he should learn about these matters, which he did. He wrote me that Joseph
had told him his [Oliver’s] secret thoughts, and all he had meditated about
[while] going to see him, which no man on earth knew, as he supposed, but
himself, and so he stopped to write for Joseph.

Soon after this, Joseph sent for me (D.W.) to come to Harmony to get
him and Oliver and bring them to my father’s house. I did not know what to
do, I was pressed with my work. I had some 20 acres to plow, so I concluded I
would finish plowing and then go, I got up one morning to go to work as
usual, and on going to the field, found between 5 and 7 acres of my ground
had been plowed during the night.

I don’t know who did it; but it was done just as I would have done it
myself, and the plow was left standing in the furrow.

This enabled me to start sooner. When I arrived at Harmony, Joseph
and Oliver were coming toward me, and met me some distance from the
house, Oliver told me that Joseph had informed him when I started from
home, where I had stopped the first night, how I read the sign at the tavern,
where I stopped the next night, etc., and that I would be there that day before
dinner, and this was why they had come out to meet me; all of which was ex¬
actly as Joseph had told Oliver, at which I was greatly astonished. When I was
returning to Fayette with Joseph and Oliver all of us riding in the wagon, Ol¬
iver and I on an old fashioned wooden spring seat and Joseph behind us,
while traveling along in a clear open place, a very pleasant, nice-looking old
man suddenly appeared by the side of our wagon who saluted us with, “good
morning, it is very warm,” at the same time wiping his face or forehead with
his hand. We returned the salutation, and by a sign from Joseph I invited him
to ride if he was going our way. But he said very pleasantly, “No, I am going
to Cumorah.” This name was something new to me, I did not know what
Cumorah meant. We all gazed at him and at each other, and as I looked

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

round inquiringly of Joseph the old man instantly disappeared, so that I did
not see him again.

J.F.S.—Did you notice his appearance?

D.W.—I should think I did, he was, I should think, about 5 feet 8 or 9
inches tall and heavy set, about such a man as James Vancleave there, but
heavier, his face was as large, he was dressed in a suit of brown woolen
clothes, his hair and beard were white, like Brother Pratt’s, but his beard was
not so heavy. I also remember that he had on his back a sort of knapsack with
something in [it], shaped like a book. It was the messenger who had the
plates, who had taken them from Joseph just prior to our starting from Har¬
mony. Soon after our arrival home, I saw something which led me to the be¬
lief that the plates were placed or concealed in my father’s barn. I frankly
askedjoseph if my supposition was right, and he told me it was. Sometime af¬
ter this, my mother was going to milk the cows, when she was met out near
the yard by the same old man (judging by her description of him) who said to
her, “You have been very faithful and diligent in your labors, but you are
tried because of the increase of your toil, it is proper therefore that you
should receive a witness that your faith may be strengthened. ” Thereupon he
showed her the plates. My father and mother had a large family of their own,
the addition to it therefore of Joseph, his wife Emma and Oliver very greatly
increased the toil and anxiety of my mother. And although she had never
complained she had sometimes felt that her labor was too much, or at least
she was perhaps beginning to feel so. This circumstance, however, com¬
pletely removed all such feelings, and nerved her up for her increased respon¬
sibilities. ...

Elder O.P.—Have you in your possession the original Mss. [manu¬
scripts] of the Book of Mormon?

D.W.—I have, they are in O[liver]. Cowdery’s hand writing. He
placed them in my care at his death, and charged me to preserve them as long
as I lived; they are safe and well preserved.

J.F.S.—What will be done with them at your death?

D.W.—I will leave them to my nephew, David Whitmer, son of my
brother Jacob, and my name sake.

O.P.—Would you not part with them to a purchaser?

D.W.—No. Oliver charged me to keep them, and Joseph said my fa¬
ther’s house should keep the records. I consider these things sacred, and
would not part with nor barter them for money.

J.F.S.—We would not offer you money in the light of bartering for the
Mss. [manuscripts], but we would like to see them preserved in some manner
where they would be safe from casualties and from the caprices of men, in
some institution that will not die as man does.

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

D.W.—That is all right. While camping around here in a tent, all my
effects exposed to the weather, everything in the trunk where the Mss.
[manuscripts] were kept became mouldy, etc., but they were preserved, not
even being discolored, (we supposed his camping in a tent, etc., had refer¬
ence to his circumstances after the cyclone in June last [)], except only, as he
and others affirm, the room in which the Mss. [manuscripts] were kept. That
was the only part of the house which was not demolished, and even the ceil¬
ing of that room was but little impaired. “Do you think,” said Philander
Page, a son of Hiram Page, one of the eight witnesses, “that the Almighty
cannot take care of his own?”

Next day (Sunday, Sept. 8) Mr. Whitmer invited us to his house where,
in the presence of David Whitmer, Esq., (son of Jacob), Philander Page, J. R.
B. Vancleave, David J. Whitmer, (son of David the witness) George
Schweich, (grandson of David) Colonel Childs and others, David Whitmer
brought out the Mss. [manuscripts] of the Book of Mormon. We examined
them closely and those who knew the handwriting pronounced the whole of
them, excepting comparatively a few pages, to be in the handwriting of Oli¬
ver Cowdery. It was thought that these few pages were in the handwritings
of Emma Smith and John and Christian Whitmer. 26

We found that the names of the eleven witnesses were, however, sub¬
scribed in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery. When the question was asked
Mr. Whitmer if he and the other witnesses did or did not sign the testimonies
themselves, Mr. Wfhitmer]. replied, “each signed his own name.” “Then
where are the original signatures?” D.W.—I don’t know, I suppose Oliver
copied them, but this I know is an exact copy.” Some one suggested that he
being the last one left of the 11 witnesses, he ought to certify to this copy.
Lawyer D[avid]. Whitmer (Jacob[’]s son) suggested that he had better reflect
about it first and be very cautious.

J.F.S. suggested that perhaps there were two copies of the manuscripts,
but Mr. Whitmer replied that according to the best of his knowledge there
never was but the one copy. Herein of course he is evidently uninformed.

Elder O. Pratt again felt closely after the the subject of procuring the
Mss. [manuscripts], but we found that nothing would move him on this
point. The whole Whitmer family are deeply impressed with the sacredness
of this relic. And so thoroughly imbued are they with the idea and faith that it
is under the immediate protection of the Almighty, that in their estimation
not only are the Mss. [manuscripts] themselves safe from all possible contin¬
gencies, but that they are a source of protection to the place or house in

26. See n. 23 above.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

which they may be kept, and, it may be to those who have possession of
them. ...

This ended our interview with the last remaining witness who saw the
plates of the Book of Mormon. ...

[3. Joseph F. Smith Address, 25 April 19i8\ 27

Joseph F. Smith—25 April 1918

The last meeting I attended at Los Angeles [was a sacrament service], [and]
the theme in the Sunday School, just previous to the meeting, had been the
early history of the Church, involving the testimonies of the witnesses to the
Book of Mormon, the organization of the twelve, and the expulsion of the
Latter-day Saints from Missouri and Illinois, the Martyrdom, and all that sort
of thing. When they asked me to talk, I told them that I had been impressed
by what I had heard in the Sunday School, and, if it were agreeable, I felt a lit¬
tle reminiscent myself, and would give them a little of my remembrance. So I
took up the organization of the Twelve, the apostasy of Thomas B. Marsh,
the testimony of David Whitmer all the way through with reference to the
scenes connected with the early rise of the Church. I told David’s history as
he related it to Bro. Orson Pratt and myself in regard to going from Seneca
County, New York, to Harmony, Pennsylvania, when he received a letter
from Joseph Smith through Oliver Cowdery. Oliver Cowdery and the
Whitmers were acquainted before this time, and it was through Oliver
Cowdery’s acquaintance that Joseph became acquainted with the Whitmers
in the first place. Joseph had written to David Whitmer as a friend of Oliver
to come to Pennsylvania and take him and Oliver away from there, on ac¬
count of the persecutions and threats and the watchings that were going on in
Harmony,—men trying to get possession of the plates. David had told me all
about that history, and [I] related it in the meeting at Los Angeles, also in re¬
gard to the description Joseph gave to Oliver Cowdery before David
Whitmer reached Harmony; how he said, “David left home on such a day,
and he drove to such a place and there watered his team, ate his lunch, then
drove to another place,” and so on. He gave a perfect description of what Da¬
vid did on the way; that he read the tavern sign, and all such things, and said,
he will arrive here at such and such a time. Oliver Cowdery stole away and
went out to meet David, and when they met, Oliver took David aside and
said, “David, Joseph has told me so and so; you left home at such a time, and

27. Because access to the original document was denied, I have relied on
the transcription in Cook 1991, 48-51.

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

stopped at such a place,” and then went on to describe David’s entire journey
until Oliver met him. “Now,” Oliver said, “I want to know what there is
about it.” “Well,” David said, “how didjoseph know?” Oliver replied, “I do
not know, but that is what he told me.” And David remarked that if the
Prophet had been with him and traveled every foot of the way, he could not
have told the facts more correctly. David inquired again, “How did he
know?” Oliver replied, “I do not know, only that he told me as I have told
you, and I wanted to know from you if he were right.” When they started for
New York Joseph told them how they would travel over the rolling country
and over the prairie. He came to one of those rolling parries as they were
driving along and he [David] described his wagon just as an ordinary wagon
with two long poles in it at each end across the end gates of the wagon box,
and then two boards laid across that for seats on those hickory poles. Joseph
and Emma were on the hind seat and Oliver and David on the front seat. In
the middle of this prairie, all of a sudden, there appeared a man walking along
the road, and David said he raised his head hat and rubbed his brow like th a t ,
as if he were a little warm, and said, good morning to them, and they said
good morning. Oliver and David looked at each other and began to marvel
and wonder: Where did he come form, what does it mean? David described
him saying he had on something like an old-fashioned knapsack, but of
course a little differently formed, right across his shoulders, and on his back
he was carrying something of considerable weight. They looked round to Jo¬
seph inquiringly: What does it mean? Andjoseph said, “Ask him to ride.” So
David, who was teamster, asked him if he would get in and ride with them.
He said, “No, I am just going over to Cumorah.” 29 David said, “Cumorah?
Cumorah? What does that mean?” He had never heard of Cumorah, and he
said, “I thought I knew this country all around here, but I never heard of
Cumorah” and he inquired about it. While he was looking around and try¬
ing to ascertain what the mystery was, the man was gone, and when he
looked back he did not see him any more. Then he demanded, “What does it
mean?” Joseph informed him that the man was Moroni, and that the bundle
on his back contained plates which Joseph had delivered to him before they

28. Joseph F. Smith’s journal neglects to mention Emma on this trip. In
fact, there is some ambiguity about whether Emma accompanied her husband
on this trip or came to Fayette a short time later (see VI.A.17, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH JAMES H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10
MAR 1884, which states that Emma came later).

29. Cumorah is the name the Book of Mormon gives to the hill in Man¬
chester, New York, where the plates were hidden (cf. Morm. 6:2-6; D&C
128:20).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

departed from Harmony, Susquehanna County, and that he was taking them
for safety, and would return them when he (Joseph) reached father Whit-
mer’s home. There was a long talk about this. David gave us a description
also of what occurred when Joseph and Oliver and Emma reached his
mother’s home. His mother had a large family of boys, only one girl. It was
fashionabl e customary for the women to do all the milking and all the hard
work, and she was feeling rather down-hearted and discouraged, and she
wondered how she was going to provide for all her own family and for this
additional number to be taken care of. She went down to milk the cow and
was feeling very gloomy about it, she hardly thought it would be possible for
her to take care of them all. David said that when she came back she was full
of joy. He did not know the reason for her rejoicing until she said, “I have
seen the messenger.” David said she described the very man they saw walk¬
ing on the prairies and he told her who he was; said that Joseph had come
there for safety and he was in their care and protection. He told her that her
burdens would be lightened, and she would enjoy her service, and not to be
bowed down or sorrowful, and David said after that she was the happiest
woman in the world. She met her added obligations with such alacrity and
pleasure that they were not trouble to her. She described the individual just as
David and Oliver had seen him and they knew that she had seen the same
messenger.

There was a great deal more about the letter from Joseph. David was
plowing at the time, it was early in the Spring, and he was a little late with his
Spring work; he had his field to plow and get into grain, so when he got the
letter from Joseph he concluded that he would wait till he plowed his field
and then he would go to Harmony. So he plowed that day and left his plow
standing in the furrow where he unhitched for the night, taking his team to
the barn, and left the plow standing in the furrow. The next morning he
hitched up his team early and started back to the field, and when he got there,
lo and behold, most of the field had been plowed during the night. David
told this story before a crowd of men, as many as there are here, in a hotel at
Richmond [Missouri], most of whom were the descendants of the mob who
drove the Latter-day Saints out of Missouri. One of those present said,
“Well, who did it,—who plowed your field?” David replied, “I do not
know.” “How could it be plowed at night, and so much of it?” “There was
only one plow and one team, who could do it?” David could only reply, “I
do not know, I cannot tell you, all I know is it was plowed.” And he said, “It
was a testimony to me that I did not have any business to put off going after
Joseph. I hitched up my team and instead of going to work with the plow and
started for Pennsylvania.” David told that before the crowd and one after an¬
other passed remarks like this: “it does not make any difference what you

INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT, 1878

may say about Father Whitmer’s testimony, there is one thing sure, he be¬
lieves every word he says, there is no doubt about it. So far as we know he is
absolutely honest.” I heard them pass just such remarks about the circum¬
stance. Bro. Orson Pratt and I and this crowd of friends who had been invited
in were sitting around in our room in the hotel when this took place. In the
meeting at Los Angeles I told them this story, occupying about an hour and a
half, and the people sat spellbound.

J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS’ HERALD,
13 October 1879

J. L. Traughber to the Editor, 13 October 1879, Saints' Herald 26 (15 No¬
vember 1879): 341.

EDITORIAL NOTE

John L. Traughber (1854-1908), described as “an old friend of David
Whitmer” (Wymetal 1886, 190), was born in Missouri. At the time of his
death, he was preparing a book on Mormonism. His manuscript of over 500
pages survives with family members. He died at Doucette, Texas ( Salt Lake
Tribune, 2 December 1985).

Editors Herald: —In the Saints' Herald of April 15th, 1879, I notice an article
from the pen of Elder T. w r . Smith, which originally appeared in the Fall
River (Mass.) Herald / in which article the writer makes mention of the testi¬
mony of David Whitmer, as published in the Chicago Times, in 1875, 1 2 and
further says:

“I personally heard him state, injanuary, 1877 [1876], in his own house
in Richmond, Ray county, Mo., in most positive language, that he did truly
see, in broad day-light, a bright and most beautiful being, an ‘angel from
heaven/ who did hold in his hands the golden plates, which he turned over
leaf by leaf, explaining the contents here and there.”

I have heard the same from the mouth of Father Whitmer, more than
once; and every time I ever heard him tell the particulars of that glorious
scene, he always told it just the same; and as far as I have ever heard, from reli¬
able witnesses, he has always told the same story—’’straight as a nail.” Had
Elder Smith stopped at the end of the above quoted sentence, I would have
had no ground for bringing his name into this article; but he did not. He fur¬
ther adds:

“He also described the size and general appearance of the plates, and he
further said that he saw Joseph translate, by the aid of Urim and Thummim,
time and again, and he then produced a large pile of foolscap paper closely

1. Fall River (Massachusetts) Herald, 28 March 1879; reprinted in Saints'
Herald 26 (15 April 1879): 128; see “David Whitmer Addendum.”

2. See VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICA¬
GO TIMES, AUG 1875.

J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS 9 HERALD , 1879

written in a very fair hand, which he declared was the manuscript written
mainly by Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, as the translation was being
read by the aid of the Urim and Thummim of the characters on the plates by
Joseph Smith, which work of translation and transcription he frequently saw.”

I, too, have seen the “manuscripts” and examined them. I, too, have
heard Father Whitmer say that he was present many times while Joseph was
translating; but I never heard him say that the translation was made by aid of
Urim and Thummim; but in every case, and his testimony is always the same,
he declared that Joseph first offered prayer, then took a dark colored, opaque
stone, called a “seer-stone,” and placed it in the crown of his hat, then put his
face into the hat, and read the translation as it appeared before him. This was
the daily method of procedure, as I have often heard Father Whitmer de¬
clare; and, as it is generally agreed to by parties who know the facts, that a
considerable portion of the work of translation was performed in a room of
his father’s house, where he then resided, there can be no doubt but what Fa¬
ther David Whitmer is a competent witness of the manner of translating.

I am aware of the fact that the “Urim and Thummim” story has long
been foisted upon the world as the true account of the origin of the Book of
Mormon; but the times demand, and, the interest of truth demands, that the
truth should be told. We need not be afraid of truth; and I greatly doubt if
anybody will be ultimately benefitted by the perpetuation of a falsehood,
which was invented for the purpose of gaining prestige, in the minds of the
people, for ambitious leaders.

The proofs are clear and positive that the story of Urim and Thummim
Translation does not date back, for its origin, further than 1833, or, between
that date and 1835; for it is not found in any printed document of the Church
of Christ up to the latter part of the year 1833, 3 or the year 1834. 4 The “Book
of Commandments” to the Church of Christ, published in Independence,
Mo., in 1833, does not contain any allusion to Urim and Thummim; though

3. The term “Urim and Thummim” was evidently introduced in 1833
by W. W. Phelps, then editor of The Evening and the Morning Star, who wrote: “It
[the Book of Mormon] was translated by the gift and power of God, by un¬
learned man, through the aid of a pair of Interpreters, or spectacles—(known,
perhaps, in ancient days as Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim)” (January 1833,
[58]).

4. In his letter to W. W. Phelps, dated 7 September 1834, Oliver
Cowdery wrote: “he [Joseph Smith] translated, with Urim and Thummim, or, as
the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters’” (III.G.6, OLIVER COWDERY
TO W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834, 14).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

the term was inserted in some of the revelations in their reprint in the “Book
of Doctrine and Covenants” in 1835. 5

Who originated the Urim and Thummim story, I do not know; but this
I do know, that it is not found in the first printed book of revelations to the
Church of Christ, and there is other testimony to show that it is not true. It is
proper to notice what it is claimed the Urim and Thummim was. Pfarley]. P.
and Ofrson]. Pratt both say it was an instrument composed of two clear or
transparent stones set in the two rims of a bow. It is also confounded with the
“Interpreters,” which were shaped something like a pair of ordinary specta¬
cles, though larger.

Now let us see. David Whitmer declares, and I have shown him to be a
competent witness, that Joseph Smith translated by aid of a dark stone, called
a “seer stone,” which was placed in the crown of a hat, into which Joseph
thrust his face.

In the Saints' Herald ofjune 15th, 1879, pages 190 and 191,1 find a let¬
ter from President W. W. Blair, in which he states some facts, learned from
Mr. Michael Morse, who married a Miss [Tryal] Hale, “a sister to S[iste]r.
Emma.” Among other things which I have not space to notice here, but
which your readers can find by following the reference I have given, Presi¬
dent Blair says:

“He states that Joseph told him that he found the gold plates, from
whence it is claimed the Book of Mormon was translated, in a stone box.
(Some of late have said that Joseph at first professed to have found them in an
iron box). He further states that when Joseph was translating the Book of
Mormon, he (Morse), had occasion more than once to go into his immediate
presence, and saw him engaged at his work of translation. The mode of pro¬
cedure consisted in Joseph’s placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat,
then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his el¬
bows upon his knees, and then dictating, word after word, while the
scribe—Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other, wrote it down.” 6

The above agrees perfectly with David Whitmer’s statements, and goes
far to confirm Father Whitmer’s testimony; but this is not all. In the Saints'
Herald of October 1st, 1879, in an article headed “Last Testimony of Sister

5. See D&C 10:1, published as Chapter 9 in the Book of Command¬
ments minus the phrase “by means of the Urim and Thummim”; and D&C
17:1, which was not included in the Book of Commandments but first appeared
as Section 42 in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.

6. See V.C.3, MICHAEL MORSE INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM
W. BLAIR, 8 MAY 1879.

J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS’ HERALD, 1879

Emma,” on first page of the Herald, third column, near the bottom of the
page, S[iste]r. Emma is represented as saying:

“In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting
at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the
stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.” 7

This statement was made to President Joseph Smith, by his mother in Feb¬
ruary, 1879. The wife of Joseph Smith—who acted sometimes as his scribe,
certainly is a competent witness, and her last testimony is entitled to respect¬
ful consideration, and she says Joseph translated by a stone placed in his hat.

Why did not Mrs. Bidamon not say that Joseph translated by aid of
Urim and Thummim? The reason is obvious in the light of the facts, to
which I have briefly alluded: because he translated with a stone, a Seer Stone;
not two clear stones set in the rims of a bow. Thus we see that Mr. Morse and
Mrs. Bidamon both agree that Joseph Smith used a stone and not Urim and
Thummim, nor Interpreter either.

Will those who hold the Urim and Thummim story to be correct, still
continue to give the lie to David Whitmer, Michael Morse and Mrs. Emma
Bidamon? Or will they have the courage to admit that those who have held
high positions have been guilty of gross fabrication?

With the sanction of David Whitmer, and by his authority, I now state
that he does not say that Joseph Smith ever translated in his presence by aid of
Urim and Thummim; but by means of one dark colored, opaque stone,
called a “Seer Stone,” which was placed in the crown of a hat, into which Jo¬
seph put his face, so as to exclude the external light. Then, a spiritual light
would shine forth, and parchment would appear before Joseph, upon which
was a line of characters from the plates, and under it, the translation in Eng¬
lish; at least, so Joseph said.

In her last testimony Mrs. Emma Bidamon said to President Joseph
Smith:

“David Whitmer I believe to be an honest and truthful man. I think
what he states may be relied on.”

So say all who know him. And as sure as he is truthful and honest, the
Book of Mormon was translated by means of a Seer Stone. And if it was not, I
say distinctly that David Whitmer, the only surviving witness to the Book of
Mormon, is not truthful.

J. L. TRAUGHBER, JR.,

MANDEVILLE, Mo., Oct. 13, 1879.

7. See I.F.3, EMMA SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH JO¬
SEPH SMITH III, FEB 1879.

David whitmer interview
with John Murphy,
JUNE 1880

John Murphy to the Editor, undated, Hamiltonian, 21 January 1881; re¬
printed in the Kingston (Missouri) Times, 16 December 1887.

EDITORIAL NOTE

In June 1880, John Murphy of Polo, Missouri, interviewed David
Whitmer concerning the Book of Mormon. Murphy’s subsequent letter to
the editor of the Hamiltonian (Hamilton, Missouri) emphasized the meta¬
physical aspects of Whitmer’s visionary experience. The publication of
Murphy’s letter evoked a response from Whitmer in the form of a “Procla¬
mation” (see VI.A.11, DAVID WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 19
MAR 1881). However, Whitmer disputed the implication that he had de¬
nied his testimony of the Book of Mormon and not any specific statement at¬
tributed to him. As the editor of the Kingston Times subsequently noted, “the
studious reader will fail to see wherein Mr. Murphy alleges that Elder
Whitmer denies being a witness” (April 1881, as cited in Saints' Herald 35 [21
January 1888]: 35). John Murphy is listed in the 1870 census of Fairview,
Caldwell County, Missouri, as a thirty-five-year-old farmer (1870:101).

MR. EDITOR:—I have been sometime past waiting for an opportu¬
nity to report a conversation which took place between myself and Mr. Da¬
vid Whitmer, one of the surviving witnesses to the book of Mormon. I had
hoped to have a talk with his brother John, 1 but death intervened. I had busi¬
ness in Richmond last June and thought I would interview Mr. Whitmer. I
met him on the street near the court house, and told him my business, and he
invited me to the livery stable conducted by him and son. After we were
seated in the office room the following conversation took place.

“I [John] am an Irishman, and live in Caldwell county. I have seen the
book of Mormon. I have seen your name, and your brother John’s as testi-

1. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MURPHY, 1880

monies to the book of Mormon. John is now dead, and you alone are left to
satisfy my desire of knowledge concerning these things. [”]

“It is warm here come down to the office of our livery stable.” When
seated he asked me for the points concerning which I wanted information.

“First of all, I heard you saw an angel. I never saw one. I want your de¬
scription of [the] shape, voice, brogue and the construction of his language. I
mean as to his style of speaking. You know that we can often determine the
class a man belongs to by his language.”

“It had no appearance or shape.”

“Then you saw nothing nor heard nothing?”

“Nothing, in the way you understand it.”

“How, then, could you have borne testimony that you saw and heard
an angel?”

“Have you never had impressions?”

“Then you had impressions as the quaker when the spirit moves, or as a
good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?”

“Just so.”

“I think I understand you about the angel, but how about the reformed
Egyptian writing on the plate[s], discovered by Mr. Smith in the cave in New
Y ork. How did you know that was Egyptian and that the book of Mormon is
a correct translation—this book in England so much talked of?”

“Being impressed with the truth and reality of it.”

“In the same way in which you were impressed with the presence of
the angel?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know any other language than English?”

“No.”

“Do you know anything of mesmerism or ventriloquism? Is it not pos¬
sible you were imposed upon? You look to be honest?”

“I do not know anything of those things.”

“You have perhaps read the history of Egypt, how the Carthagenians
were descendants of Phenecia and how the Israelites sojourned in Egypt and
the probability of the old Egyptian being akin to the languages or idioms of
Palestine, how the Persians ruled for a time in Egypt, how Alexander and the
Greeks ruled afterward, the Romans next and last of all the Arabs. Now, all
these languages are known to linguists in the great Universities of Europe
and what need of a miracle to decifer [decipher] [them]. The hieroglyphics
are more ancient and the way to read them is discovered; and I do not see the
need of an angel’s visit to teach us how to read them now days. You thought
doubtless that you were impressed for good, but have you considered the
precedents for murder taught in the first chapter of [the] book of Nephi [1

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Ne. 4:7-29]. I stated the circumstances of Nephi being commanded by God
to murder his uncle at night in the streets, outside the walls of his house in Je¬
rusalem. When he said that that looked bad, with such a tone that I thought
he had never before observed this wickedness in his book, [which was] wit¬
nessed] and recommended by his angel and himself to the world. He had an
honest simple look and my impression, which I think to be as good as his or
his angel, is that he ought to reconsider and contradict his former testimony
to a delusion or perhaps a cunning scheme being a fact which has resulted in
so much woe to many, and as he seems to be nearly 80 years old, he ought not
to delay.

JOHN MURPHY.

Polo, Mo.

10 .

E. S. Gilbert to Ellen e. Dickinson,
l August 1880

E. S. Gilbert to Ellen E. Dickinson, 1 August 1880, in Ellen E. Dickinson,
New Light on Mormonism (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1885), 261-62.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 1 August 1880, E. S. Gilbert of Canaseraga, New York, wrote to
anti-Mormon writer Ellen E. Dickinson, relating the substance of an inter¬
view his aunt, a “Mrs. Orill Fuller,” had with David Whitmer sometime
prior to Joseph Smith’s death in 1844. According to this third-hand account,
Whitmer denied having seen the angel and plates in a vision. Considering the
otherwise uniform record of Whitmer’s testimony, this claim is extremely
doubtful. E. S. Gilbert of Canaseraga, Allegany County, New York, is possi¬
bly Ezra Gilbert (age thirty-seven) listed in the 1880 census of Burns town¬
ship, which included Canaseraga (1880:160).

CANASERAGA, N.Y., August 1, 1880.

MRS. ELLEN E. DICKINSON.

DEAR MADAM: Your interesting paper in Scribner, entitled “The
Book ofMormon,” 1 has recalled the following anecdote to my mind, related
by my aunt, Mrs. Orill Fuller, 2 who was converted to the Mormon faith in
the first days, and emigrated from this State to join the Mormon congrega¬
tion, located, I think, at Kirtland, Ohio.

It appears that a certificate or affidavit, signed by the three wit¬
nesses—David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, 3 and Martin Harris 4 —was ap¬
pended to the “Book of Mormon” to this effect: “We, the underfp.

1. Ellen E. Dickinson, “The Book ofMormon,” Scribner's Monthly 20
(August 1880): 613-16.

2. I have been unable to leam anything about Orill Fuller and his wife or
their possible conversion to Mormonism.

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

4. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

261]signed, have seen and hefted the book of plates.” 5 Arrived at her destina¬
tion, my aunt became acquainted with David Whitmer, who lived there; and
wishing to be edified by the account of a reliable eye-witness concerning the
appearance and peculiarities of the wonderful plates, she took early opportu¬
nity to converse with him on the subject, when, to her amazement, the vera¬
cious Whitmer assured her that he never had seen them.

“Suppose,” said he, “that you had a friend whose character was such
that you knew it impossible that he could lie; then if he described a city to
you which you had never seen, could you not, by the eye of faith, see the city
just as he described it?” She answered that, however that might be, the certif¬
icate attached to the Mormon Bible had given rise to the belief that the three
witnesses had actually seen and handled the book of plates.

Thereupon he went on to relate the bottom facts, which formed the
basis of his faith, to this effect: That he went into the woods after some maple
sap, and having filled two large pails, he set out to return home. The pails of
sap were so heavy that he was obliged to stop and rest at short intervals, and
the sharp roots and stubs hurt his bare feet so badly that he had great difficulty
in getting along at all. So sitting alone in the woods, he fell to thinking of
Smith and of the plates he claimed to have found, and finally, to ease his
doubts, he knelt and prayed that if Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and the
plates a genuine revelation from God, that the sap might be made lighter as a
token thereof. The prayer being ended, he arose, and lifted the sap, which
now had apparently no weight whatever, and he went the remaining dis¬
tance—I think a half mile—without setting it down once, getting over the
ground easier than if empty-handed. Whether Cowdery and Harris had such
convincing proof, I do not know. I believe I read in the Latter-Day Saints
Herald, that an angel appeared to them, holding the book of plates in his
hands. 6 My aunt’s family did not remain at Kirtland long; they seceded and
went to Michigan, under the leadership of James G. Strong 7 ; if I remember
rightly, renounced Mormonism some time after, and are now living some-

5. Gilbert mistakenly refers to the Testimony of Eight Witnesses, which
states that “we have seen and hefted” the gold plates. The Testimony of Three
Witnesses states that “an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought
and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings
thereon,” but says nothing about handling the plates (see VI.G.l, TESTI¬
MONY OF THREE WITNESSES, JUN 1829).

6. See Saints’ Herald, 15 April and 15 November 1879, 341 (cf. VI.A.8, J.
L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS’ HERALD - 13 OCT 1879).

7. James J. Strang, leader of a factional Mormon group, founded a colony
on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan following Joseph Smith’s death.

E. S. GILBERT TO ELLEN E. DICKINSON, 1880

where in the West. David Whitmer is still living, though very aged. These
details, perhaps unimportant in themselves, derive a possible significance in
connection with Mrs. McKinstry’s 8 narrative, showing how miracles and vi¬
sions were, of necessity, substituted for ocular demonstration of the existence
of the plates. You are at liberty to make any use of these statements that you
choose, and I remain,

Yours truly,
E. S. GILBERT.

8. Mrs. McKinstry was Solomon Spaulding’s daughter (Bush 1977,
50-51).

11 .

David Whitmer Proclamation,
19 MARCH 1881

David Whitmer, Proclamation, 19 March 1881, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah. Published in “A Proclamation,” Richmond (Missouri) Con¬
servator, 24 March 1881; reprinted in the Hamiltonian (Hamilton, Missouri), 8
April 1881; Saints' Herald 28 (1 June 1881): 168; and David Whitmer, Ad¬
dress to All Believers in Christ (Richmond, Missouri: D. Whitmer, 1887),
8-10; also published as a leaflet, “A Proclamation” (n.p., n.d.).

EDITORIAL NOTE

Whitmer’s proclamation was written in response to John Murphy’s
version of his interview with Whitmer, published in the Hamiltonian in Janu¬
ary 1881, wherein Whitmer allegedly said he had seen the plates only in a vi¬
sionary state (see VI.A.9, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
JOHN MURPHY, JUN 1880). Whitmer formally reaffirmed his testimony
of the Book of Mormon and appended the names of twenty-two people who
could attest to his integrity. When published with his 1887 Address to All Be¬
lievers in Christ, Whitmer gave the following introduction:

It is recorded in the American Cyclopaedia and the Encyclopaedia
Britannica, that I, David Whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the
three witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon; and that the other
two witnesses, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, denied their testimony
to the Book. I will say once more to all mankind, that I have never at any
time denied that testimony or any part thereof. I also testify to the world,
that neither Oliver Cowdery or Martin Harris ever at any time denied
their testimony. They both died reaffirming the truth of the divine authen¬
ticity of the Book of Mormon. I was present at the death bed of Oliver
Cowdery, and his last words were, “Brother David, be true to your testimony to
the Book of Mormon. ” He died here in Richmond, Mo., on March 3rd,
1850. Many witnesses [are] yet alive in Richmond, who will testify to the
truth of these facts, as well as to the good character of Oliver Cowdery.
The very powers of darkness have combined against the Book of Mormon,
to prove that it is not the word of God, and this should go to prove to men
of spiritual understanding, that the Book is true. To show the reader what I
have had to contend with, I give you below a copy of a leaflet which I had
printed and distributed in March, 1881 (Whitmer 1887, 8).

DAVID WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 1881

By April 1884, Whitmer had handed out all but a few of his leaflets.
The original handwritten document in the LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah (see photographs in the Improvement Era, April 1969, 79; and
Richardson 1952, 178-80), was sold to the church for $25.00 by George W.
Crowley of Richmond, Missouri, in 1938 (see George W. Crowley to Jo¬
seph Fielding Smith, Jr., 8 August 1938, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah). A transcription of the original follows.

Unto all Nations, Kindreds, tongues and people unto whom this pres¬
ent Shall come.

It having been represented by one John Murphy of Polo Mo. that I in a
conversation with him last Summer, denied my testimony as one of the three
witnesses to the Book of Mormon.

To the end therefore, that he may understand me now if he did not
then, and that the world may know the truth, I wish now standing as it were,
in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God, once for all to make this pub¬
lic Statement;

That I have never at any time, denied that testimony or any part
thereof, which has so long since been published with that book as one of the
three witnesses.

Those who know me best, well know that I have adhered to that testi¬
mony.—

And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to
the same, I do now again affirm the truth of all my statement [s], as then made
and published.

He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear; It was no Delusion. What is
written is written, and he that readeth let him understand.

And that no one may be deceived or misled by this Statement, I wish
here to state that I do not indorse Polygamy or Spiritual wifeism. It is a great
Evil, Shocking to the moral Sense; and the more so because practiced in the
name of religion.

It is of man not of God, and is Especially forbidden in the Book of Mor¬
mon itself [cf. Jacob 2]. I do not indorse the change of the name of the
Church, for as the wife takes the name of her husband, [p. 1] So Should the
Church of the Lamb of God take the name of its head; Even Christ himself. It
is the Church of Christ. As to the High priesthood; Jesus Christ himself is the
last Great High priest: This too after the order of Melchisadec, as I under¬
stand the Holy Scriptures [Heb. 7].

Finally; I do not indorse any of the teachings of the so called Mormons
or Latter day Saints, which are in conflict with the Gospel of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, as taught in the Bible and Book of Mormon. For the

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

same Gospel is plainly taught in both of these books as I understand the word
of God. And if any man doubt should he not carefully and honestly read and
understand the same, before presuming, to sit in judgment, and condemning
the Light which Shineth in darkness, and Showeth the way of Eternal life, as
pointed out by the unerring hand of God.

In the Spirit of Christ who hath said follow thou me, for I am the Life
the light and the way, I submit this Statement to the world. God in whom I
trust being my Judge, as to the sincerity of my motives and the faith and hope
that is in me of Eternal life[.]

My sincere Desire is that the world may be benefited by this plain and
simple Statement of the truth.

And all the Honor be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost which
is one God. Amen

[s] David Whitmer Sr.

Richmond Mo March 19th AD 1881 [p. 2]

We the undersigned citizens of Richmond Ray Co Mo where David
Whitmer Sr has resided since the year AD 1838, Certify that we have been
long and intimately acquainted with him, and know him to be a man of the
highest integrity, and of undoubted truth and veracity. Given at Richmond
Mo this March 19th AD 1881

A. W. Doniphan 1

Geo W. Dunn, Judge of the Fifth Judicial circuit.

T D Woodson President Ray County Savings Bank

Jacob T. Child, Editor of Conservator.

H C Garner Cashier Ray County Savfings] Bank

W. A. Holman, County Treasurer

J. S. Hughes Banker Richmond Mo.

James Hughes [Banker Richmond Mo.]

D. P. Whitmer Attorney at Law.

James W Black, Attorney at Law.

L C Cantwell, Postmaster Richmond Mo.

Geo I. Wasson, Mayor

Jas A Davis, Revenue collector

CJ. Hughes Probate Judge &P [residing]. Jfustice]. Ray County Court.

1. Alexander W. Doniphan (1808-87) was hired by the Mormons as legal
counsel in Missouri in 1833 and later, as commander in the state militia, refused
to follow orders to execute Mormon leaders.

DAVID WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 1881

Geo W. Trigg County Clerk Ray County

W W Mosby, MD

Thos McGinnis Late Sheriff Ray Co

W R. Holman Furniture Merchant

J P Quessenberry Merchant

Lewis Slaughter, Recorder of Deeds

G. W. Buchanan, M.D.

A. K. Rayburn [p. 3]

12 .

David Whitmer interview

WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL ,
1 JUNE 1881

“Mormonism. Authentic Account of the Origin of This Sect from One of
the Patriarchs. Discovery of the Plates, and the Translation of the Book of
Mormon—Polygamy an Excres[c|ence,” Kansas City Daily Journal, 5 June
1881; reprinted in the Deseret Evening News 14 (11 June 1881); Saints' Herald
28 (1 July 1881): 197-99; Millennial Star 43 (4 July 1881): 421-23, 437-39;
and Kingston (Missouri) Times, 27 December 1887.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 5 June 1881, the Kansas City Journal published a lengthy interview
with David Whitmer which, according to the report, was conducted four
days earlier. Whitmer wrote a letter to the paper, dated 13 June 1881, in
which he identified several errors in the article (see VI.A.13, DAVID
WHITMER TO KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 13 JUN 1881). In a letter to
S. T. Mouch, dated 18 November 1887, he complained about the interview:
“As to the interview published in the Kansas City Journal ofjune 5th 1881
there were So many Errors in it as published that I felt compelled to correct
what I thought to be the most damaging Errors—these corrections were
published in the same paper Date June 19th 1881 [,] and Even in publishing
the Statement Correcting their former publication where I had written
‘Seers Stone’ they made it read ‘Sun Stone[.]’ I think the interview as pub¬
lished in the Said paper of Date June 5th 1881 & corrected in Same paper of
Date June 19th by me and modified is Substantially Correct. Making the cor¬
rections read Seer Stone not Sun Stone as they have it—But the two must be
read and put together in order to be properly understood. And I hope that all
who May read it or Speak of the matter will do me the kindness to read the
same together in the Spirit of truth and Justice” (Whitmer Collection, RLDS
Church [now Community of Christ] Library-Archives, Independence, Mis¬
souri).

... David Whitmer,

THE ONLY LIVING WITNESS,

has resided since 1838 in Richmond, Ray county, Mo., and the JOURNAL

INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL , 1881

dispatched a reporter to Richmond, to interview the “last of the eleven [wit¬
nesses].”

The reporter called at the residence of Mr. Whitmer and found the pa¬
triarch resting in an invalid’s chair looking very pale and feeble, he having
but just recovered from a long and very severe illness. In person, he is about
medium height, of massive frame, though not at all corpulent, his shoulders
slightly bent as with the weight of years. His manly, benevolent face was
closely shaven, his hair snow white, and his whole appearance denoted one
of nature’s noblemen. The education acquired during his boyhood days and
his long life devoted to study and thought, have stored his mind with a vast
fund of information.

After introducing himself, the reporter opened the conversation as fol¬
lows:

“Mr. Whitmer, knowing that you are the only living witness to the
translation of the Book of Mormon and also that you were a resident of Jack-
son county during the Mormon troubles in 1833,1 have been sent to you by
the JOURNAL to get from your lips

THE TRUE STATEMENT OF FACTS

in regard to these matters. For nearly half a century the world has had but one
side only, and it is now our desire to present to our readers for the first time
the other side.”

“Young man, you are right. I am the only living witness to the Book of
Mormon, but I have been imposed upon and misrepresented so many times
by persons claiming to be honorable newspaper men, that I feel a delicacy in
allowing my name to come before the public in newspaper print again.”

“I am sorry to hear that, but I promise you that we shall only give your
statement as you make it, and will not misrepresent you in any manner.”

After a few other remarks of the same tenor the reporter at last induced
the patriarch to furnish the desired facts, which he did in the following lan¬
guage:

BIOGRAPHICAL.

“I was born near Harrisburg, Pa., January 7, 1805, but when only four
years of age 1 my parents removed to the state of New Y ork, settling at a point
midway between the northern extremities of Lakes Cayuga and Seneca, two
miles from Waterloo, seven miles from Geneva, and twenty-seven miles

1. Peter Whitmer, Sr.’s, appearance in the 1810 census at Fayette, New
York, supports David Whitmer’s memory on the time of his family’s arrival (see
R. L. Anderson 1981, 124).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

from Palmyra, where I lived until the year 1831. In the year 1830 I was mar¬
ried to Miss Julia A. Jolly 2 who is still living. The fruit of our union was a son
David J. Whitmer, now aged 48, and a daughter, now Mrs. Julia Schweich,
now aged 46 years, both of whom are now living with me. I first heard of
what is now termed Mormonism in the year 1828. I made a business trip to
Palmyra, N.Y., and while there stopped with one Oliver Cowdery. 3 4 A great
many people in the neighborhood were talking about the finding of certain
golden plates by one Joseph Smith, jr., a young man of that neighborhood.
Cowdery and I, as well as others, talked about the matter, but at that time I
paid but little attention to it, supposing it to be only

THE IDLE GOSSIP

of the neighborhood. Cowdery said he was acquainted with the Smith fam¬
ily, and he believed there must be some truth in the story of the plates, and
that he intended to investigate the matter. I had conversations with several
young men who said that Joseph Smith had certainly golden plates, and that
before he attained them he had promised to share with them, but had not
done so, and they were very much incensed with him. Said I, ‘how do you
know that Joe Smith has the plates?’ They replied: ‘we saw the plates 5 in the
hill that he took them out of just as he described it to us before he obtained
them.’ 6 These parties were so positive in their statements that I began to be¬
lieve there must be some foundation for the stories then in circulation all

2. On Julia Ann Jolly (1815-89), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 118.

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

4. See also VI.A.17, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH
JAMES HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 18 MAR 1884. A similar statement was made
by Martin Harris in III. F. 10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JOEL
TIFFANY, 1859, 167.

5. Whitmer corrected “plates” to “place” (see VI.A.13, DAVID WHIT¬
MER TO KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 13 JUN 1881; cf. VI.A.17, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH JAMES HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 18
MAR 1884).

6. See also VI.A.6, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH P.
WILHELM POULSON, CIRCA APR 1878; and VI.A.14, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES , 14 OCT 1881. However,
Lorenzo Saunders stated that he could not find the place when he searched the
hill only days after Smith said he took the plates from the hill (III.B. 15,
LORENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 12 NOV 1884,16-17). It is possible
that Whitmer’s informants had seen the excavation on the northeast side of the
hill that Saunders said was dug by treasure seekers a year or two earlier.

INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL , 1881

over that part of the country. I had never seen any of the Smith family up to
that time, and I began to inquire of the people in regard to them, and learned
that one night during the year 1827 7 Joseph Smith, jr., had a vision, and an
angel of God appeared to him and told him where certain plates were to be
found, and pointed out the spot to him, and that shortly afterward he went to
that place and found the plates which were still in his [the angle’s] possession.
After thinking over the matter for a long time, and talking with Cowdery,
who also gave me a history of the finding of the plates, I went home, and after
several months Cowdery told me he was going to Harmony, Pa.—whither
Joseph Smith had gone with the plates on account of persecutions of his
neighbors—and see him about the matter. He did go and on his way stopped
at my father’s house 8 and told me that as soon as he found out anything either

TRUTH OR UNTRUTH

he would let me know. After he got there he became acquainted with Joseph
Smith, and shortly after, wrote to me telling me that he was convinced that
Smith had the records and that he (Smith) had told him that it was the will of
heaven that he (Cowdery) should be his scribe to assist in the translation of
the plates. He went on and Joseph translated from the plates and he wrote it
down. Shortly after this Cowdery wrote me another letter in which he gave
me a few lines of what they had translated, and he assured me that he knew of
a certainty that he had a record of a people that inhabited this continent, and
that the plates they were translating gave a complete history of these people.
When Cowdery wrote me these things and told me that he had revealed
knowledge concerning the truth of them, I showed these letters to my par¬
ents, and brothers and sisters. Soon after I received another letter from
Cowdery, telling me to come down into Pennsylvania and bring him andjo-
seph to my father’s house, giving as a reason therefor that they had received a
commandment from God to that effect. I went down to Harmony, and
found everything just as they had written me. The next day after I got there
they packed up the plates 9 and we proceeded on our journey to my father’s

7. The reporter apparently conflated the angel’s first appearance in 1823
with when Smith said he obtained the plates, 1827.

8. Cowdery, together with Samuel Smith, stopped at the Whitmer home
in Fayette, New York, in early April 1829 on their way to Harmony, Pennsylva¬
nia, where they arrived on 5 April.

9. Whitmer later denied having said “they packed up the plates,” only
that “they packed up the next day” (VI.A.13, DAVID WHITMER TO KAN¬
SAS CITY JOURNAL , 13 JUN 1881). On other occasions Whitmer claimed
that the angel had transported the plates from Harmony to Fayette (e.g., VI.A.5,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH EDWARD STEVENSON,
22-23 DEC 1877).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

house where we arrived in due time, and the day afterf,] we 10 commenced
upon the translation of the remainder of the plates. I, as well as all of my fa¬
ther’s family, Smith’s wife, 11 Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris 12 were
present during the translation. The translation was by Smith and

THE MANNER AS FOLLOWS:

“He had two small stones 13 of a chocolate color, nearly egg shaped and per¬
fectly smooth, but not transparent, called interpreters, 14 which were given
him with the plates. He did not use the plates in the translation, but would
hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all
light, and before his eyes would appear what seemed to be parchment, on
which would appear the characters of the plates in a line at the top, and im¬
mediately below would appear the translation in English, which Smith
would read to his scribe, who wrote it down exactly as it fell from his lips.
The scribe would then read the sentence written, and if any mistake had been
made the characters would remain visible to Smith until corrected, when
they faded from sight to be replaced by another line. The translation at my fa¬
ther’s occupied about one month, that is from June 1 to July 1, 1829.”

“Were the plates under the immediate control of Smith all the time?”

“No, they were not. I will explain how that was. When Joseph first re¬
ceived the plates he translated 116 pages of the book of‘Lehi,’ with Martin
Harris as scribe. 15 When this had been completed they rested for a time, and
Harris wanted to take the manuscript home with him to show to his family
and friends. To this Joseph demurred, but finally

ASKED THE LORD

if Harris might be allowed to take it. The answer was ‘no.’ Harris teased Jo¬
seph for a long time and finally persuaded him to ask the Lord a second time,
pledging himself to be responsible for its safe keeping. To this second inquiry
the Lord told Joseph [regarding] Harris [that] he might take the manuscript,

10. Whitmer later corrected this “we” to “he” (Smith) (VI.A.13, DAVID
WHITMER TO KANSAS CITYJOURNAL , 13 JUN 1881).

11. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

12. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

13. Whitmer later corrected “two small stones” to “one stone” (VI.A.13,
DAVID WHITMER TO KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 13 JUN 1881).

14. Whitmer later corrected “interpreters” to “seer stone” (VI.A.13,
DAVID WHITMER TO KANSAS CITY JOURNAL , 13 JUN 1881).

15. See III.L.16, BOOK OF MORMON PREFACE, 1829.

INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1881

which he did, showing it to a great many people, but through some careless¬
ness allowed it to be stolen from him. This incurred the Lord’s displeasure,
and he sent an angel to Joseph demanding the plates, and until Joseph had
thoroughly repented of his transgressions would not allow him to have the
use of them again. When Joseph was again allowed to resume the transla¬
tion^] the plates were taken care of by a messenger of God, and when Joseph
wanted to see the plates this messenger was always at hand. The 116 pages of
the book of‘Lehi’ which were stolen were never recovered nor would the
Lord permit Joseph to make a second translation of it.

“A few months after the translation was completed, that is, in the spring
of 1830, 16 Joseph had the book published and this (showing a well worn vol¬
ume) is a copy of the first edition which I have had in my possession ever
since it was printed.”

“When did you see the plates?”

“It was in the latter part of June, 1829. Joseph, Oliver Cowdery and
myself were together, and the angel showed them to us. We not only saw the
plates of the book of Mormon, but he also showed us the brass plates of the
book of Ether and many others. They were shown to us in this way. Joseph
and Oliver and I were

SITTING ON A LOG

when we were overshadowed by a light more glorious than that of the sun.
In the midst of this light but a few feet from us appeared a table upon which
were many golden plates, also the sword of Laban and the directors. I saw
them as plain as I see you now, and distinctly heard the voice of the Lord de¬
claiming that the records of the plates of the Book of Mormon were trans¬
lated by the gift and the power of God.”

“Who else saw the plates at this time?”

“No one. Martin Harris, the other witness, saw them the same day and
the eight witnesses, Christian Whitmer, Hiram Page, Jacob Whitmer, Joseph
Smith, sr., Peter Whitmer, jr., Hyram Smith, Jno. [John] Whitmer and Sam¬
uel H. Smith saw them next day.” 17
“Did you see the angel?”

“Yes; he stood before us. Our testimony as recorded in the Book of
Mormon is absolutely true, just as it is written there.”

16. The first copies of the Book of Mormon were ready for sale in March

1830.

17. Cf. VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PILATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, where Whitmer says the ex¬
perience of the eight witnesses occurred one or two days later.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

“Can you describe the plates?”

“They appeared to be of gold, about six by nine inches in size, about as
thick as parchment, a great many in number and bound together like the
leaves of a book by massive rings passing through the back edges. The en¬
graving upon them was very plain and of very curious appearance. Smith
made facsimiles of some of the plates, and sent them by Martin Harris to
Profs. Anson [Charles Anthon] 18 and [Samuel L.] Mitchell, 19 of New York
city, for examination. They pronounced the characters reformed Egyptian,
but were unable to read them.” 20

“Did Joseph Smith ever relate to you the circumstances of his

FINDING THE PLATES?”

“Yes; he told me that he first found the plates in the early spring of
1828 , that during the fall of 1827 he had a vision, an angel appearing to him
three times in one night and telling him that there was a record of an ancient
people deposited in a hill near his fathers house, called by the ancients
‘Cumorah,’ situated in the township of Manchester, Ontario countyf,] N.Y.
The angel pointed out the exact spot and some time after he went and found
the records or plates deposited in a stone box in the hill just as had been de¬
scribed to him by the angel. It was some little time, however, before the an¬
gel would allow Smith to remove the plates from their place of deposit.”

“When was the church first established?”

“We had [been] preaching during the time the book was being trans¬
lated but our church was not regularly organized until after the book was
printed in the winter of 1829-’30. 22 The first organization was in Seneca
county, New York, 23 under the name of “The Church of Christ.” The first
elders were Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, Hyram Smith, 24

18. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

19. On Samuel L. Mitchell (1764-1831), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 45.

20. Concerning Anthon’s inability to read the characters, see “Introduc¬
tion to Martin Harris Collection.”

21. The obviously incorrect dates of “spring of 1828” and “fall of 1827”
were not corrected by Whitmer; however, Joseph Smith said he saw the angel
and found the plates on 21/22 September 1823.

22. The printing commenced in August 1829; finished books were first is¬
sued in March 1830.

23. On the location of the church’s organization, see I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82.

24. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL , 1881

Jno. [John] Whitmer, 25 Peter Whitmer 26 and myself. On the 6th of April,
1830, the church was called together and the elders acknowledged according
to the laws of New York. 27 Our instructions from the Lord were to teach
nothing except the old and new testaments and the Book of Mormon. From
that time the church spread abroad and multiplied very rapidly. In the sum¬
mer of 1830 Parley Pratt, 28 Peter Whitmer [Jr.] and S. [Ziba] Peterson 29 went
to Kirtland, Ofhio]., and established a branch of the church which also grew
very fast and soon after a fine temple was erected, which is still standing. ... 30

“I understand, Mr. Whitmer, that you have the original manuscript of
the Book of Mormon.”

“I have; here it is.” (He produced about 500 pages of manuscript, yel¬
low with age, of large, old fashioned, unruled foolscap paper, closely written
upon both sides with ink and fastened together in sections with yarn strings.
It very plainly showed that it had been through the hands of the printer, the
‘take’ marks being still upon it.) “This,” continued he, “was kept by Oliver
Cowdery, and when he came to die he placed them in my care, charging me
to preserve them so long as I lived. When I die I will leave them to my
nephew, David Whitmer, my namesake. Jfoseph]. F. Smith and Orson Pratt,
of Salt Lake City, were here three years ago and offered me a fabulous price
for them, but I would not part with them for all the money in the universe.”

“Are you not afraid they will be destroyed or stolen?”

“No, the Lord will take care of his own. When this house was de¬
stroyed by the cyclone three years ago to-day (June 1st, 1878), nothing in the
room where this manuscript was kept was harmed. Everything else was com¬
pletely destroyed. [”]

25. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

26. On Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809-36), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 63.

27. Whitmer’s list of seven elders is in error since some of these men were
not ordained until a later date. He evidently confused the church’s organization
with the first conference held on 9 June 1830 at Fayette (see introduction to
IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11 AUG 1862).

28. On Parley Parker Pratt (1807-57), see introduction to III.K.16, PAR¬
LEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY (PART I), CIRCA 1854.

29. On Richard Ziba Peterson (?-1849), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 105.

30. For Whitmer’s account of events in Missouri, see Cook 1991,65-69.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Both Mr. Whitmer and his family are thoroughly imbued with the idea
that the manuscript is under the immediate protection of the Almighty... . 31

This ended the interview and after bidding the old man adieu and
thanking him for his kindness the writer took his leave. ...

31. At this point, the Journal printed the attachment to Whitmer’s “Procla¬
mation” certifying to his character (see VI.A. 11, DAVID WHITMER PROC¬
LAMATION, 19 MAR 1881; Cook 1991, 70-71).

13.

David whitmer to
Kansas City journal
13 JUNE 1881

David Whitmer to the Editor, 13 June 1881, “A Few Corrections,” Kansas
City Daily Journal, 19 June 1881.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 13 June 1881, David Whitmer wrote a letter to the Kansas City
Journal correcting errors in his interview published in the paper a little more
than a week earlier (see VI.A. 12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1 JUN 1881). The editor’s note that
follows Whitmer’s letter, states: “It is but justice to the reporter who inter¬
viewed Mr. Whitmer to say that the errors above referred to were purely ac¬
cidental and entirely unintentional as it was his aim and desire as well as that
of the JOURNAL to publish Mr. Whitmer’s statement just as he made it.”

To the Editor of the Journal.

RICHMOND, MO., June 13.—I notice several errors in the inter¬
view had with me by one of your reporters as published in the DAILY
JOURNAL of June 5th, ’81, and wish to correct them.

I am reported as saying that “the young men in the neighborhood saw
the plates in the hill.” The language used was, that “we saw the place (not the
plates) in the hill from which the plates were taken, just as he described them
to us before he obtained them.” In regard to my going to Harmony, my
statement was that “I found everything as Cowdery had written me, and that
they packed up next day and went to my father’s, (did not say ‘packed up the
plates’) and that he, Smith, (not ‘we’) then commenced the translation of the
remainder of the plates.” I did not wish to be understood as saying that those
referred to as being present were all of the time in the immediate presence of
the translator, but were at the place and saw how the translation was con¬
ducted. I did not say that Smith used “two small stones” as stated nor did I call
the stone “interpreters.” I stated that “he used one stone (not two) and called

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

it a sun stone.” 1 The “interpreters” were as I understood taken from Smith
and were not used by him after losing the first 116 pages as stated. It is my un¬
derstanding that the stone refer[r]ed to was furnished him when he com¬
menced translating again after losing the 116 pages.

My statement was and now is that in translating he put the stone in his
hat and [that this was accomplished by] putting his face in his hat so as to ex¬
clude the light and that then the light and characters appeared in the hat to¬
gether with the interpretation which he uttered and [which] was written by
the scribe and which was tested at the time as stated.

... I stated that “we had preaching during the time the Book of Mor¬
mon was being printed,” not while the same was being translated, as re¬
ported.

I stated that “in the summer of 1830 Oliver Cowdery, Parley Pratt, Pe¬
ter Whitruer and S. [Ziba] Peterson went to Kirtland, Ofhio]., and estab¬
lished a church.” In the interview, as reported, the name of Cowdery is
omitted. ... I made no statement as to who should succeed me in charge of
the ancient manuscript referred to; and as to what was done and said by Jo¬
seph Smith after leaving Caldwell county in 1838, I did not give as of my
knowledge, but from [second-hand] information. I have carefully read the
report and think the same is substantially correct except as herein explained
and corrected.

DAVID WHITMER.

1. In a letter to S. T. Mouch, dated 18 November 1882, Whitmer com¬
plained that “even in publishing the Statement Correcting their former publica¬
tion where I had written ‘Seers Stone’ they made it read ‘Sun Stone’” (ILLDS
Church [now Community of Christ] Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri).

14.

David Whitmer Interview
with Chicago Times ,

14 October 1881

“The Last Man. Of the Men Who Attested to the Truth of the ‘Book of
Mormon,’ David Whitmer Only Is Left. In the Sunset of Life He Bases His
Hopes of Heaven on the Records of the Lost Tribe. And Solemnly Reiter¬
ates All that He Has Ever Said Regarding Them,” Chicago Times, 17 October
1881; reprinted in the Saints' Herald 28 (15 November 1881): 346-47.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The present interview was conducted at Whitmer’s home in Rich¬
mond, Missouri, on 14 October 1881, and published three days later in the
Chicago Times. Whitmer once commented that the interview contained
“only two trifling errors” (VI.A.30, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH M. J. HUBBLE, NOV 1886).

In the beautiful shire town of Richmond, Ray county, Mo., there has
resided for well nigh a half of a century David Whitmer, known to the world
as one of the three witnesses that testified to the validity and reality of the
golden plates from which it has been asserted that Joseph Smith translated the
“Book of Mormon,” the original manuscript of which Mr. Whitmer has in
his possession, which shown by finger-marks and where it has been cut into
“takes”—a printer’s term—that it has passed through the hands of the
type-setters. As a citizen of this town he stands deservedly high, having filled
the office of mayor and councilman, 1 is a good scholar, and thoroughly
posted in biblical lore. During the past two years he has been slowly declin¬
ing, and is now confined to his home, carefully attended to by his wife, chil¬
dren, and grandchildren. Born in the state of New York, from Revolution¬
ary ancestors, he brought with him to the west his habits of thrift and hospi¬
tality. To the stranger or the unfortunate his home and purse have ever been
open, and his name is a synonym of probity and integrity. Knowing that he
was approaching the full term allotted for men’s stay on earth, and that the
readers of THE TIMES would like to hear what he had to say concerning the

1. On Whitmer’s political activities, see R. L. Anderson 1981, 72.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

origin of the “Book of Mormon,” I called at his residence—a plain and un¬
pretentious frame building,—was ushered into his chamber by his grand¬
daughter, and found the old patriot reclining on his bed. Upon being told the
object of my visit he promptly responded to my questions, and after an hour’s
interview I gleaned the following valuable information from him—he
speaking freely and unreservedly—in regard to the origin and rise of the
Mormon church, as well as the authenticity of the “Book of Mormon.”

THE PLATES

from which the book was translated, supposed to be gold, were found in the
latter part of the year 1827 or 1828, 2 prior to any acquaintance on Mr.
Whitmer’s part with Joseph Smith, and he was loth [loathe] to believe in
their actuality, notwithstanding the community in which he lived (Ontario
county, New York,) was alive with excitement in regard to Smith’s finding a
great treasure, and they informed him that they knew that Smith had the
plates, as they had seen the place that he had taken them from, on the hill
Cumorah, about two miles from Palmyra, N.Y. 3 It was not until June, 1829,
that he met the future prophet, who visited his father’s house, and while
there completed the translation of the “Book of Mormon,” and thus he be¬
came conversant with its history, having witnessed Smith dictate to Oliver
Cowdrey 4 the translation of the characters that were inscribed on the plates,
said by Mr. [Charles] Anthon, 5 our Egyptian scholar, to resemble the charac¬
ters of that ancient people. Christian Whitmer, 6 his brother, occasionally as¬
sisted Cowdrey in writing, 7 as did Mrs. Joseph Smith, who was a Miss
[Emma] Hale 8 before she was married.

2. The plates were said to have been taken from the hill on 22 September

1827.

3. See VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICA¬
GO TIMES, AUG 1875, n. 18.

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

5. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

6. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

7. Concerning Christian Whitmer as a scribe, see VI.A.17, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH JAMES H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10
MAR 1884; VI.A.18, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE
Q. CANNON, 27 FEB 1884; and VI.A.26, DAVID WHITMER WITH CHI¬
CAGO TRIBUNE, 17 DEC 1885.

8. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, 1881

In regard to finding the plates, he was told by Smith that they were in a
stone casket, and the place where it was deposited, in the hill Cumorah, was
pointed out to him by a celestial personage, clad in a dazzling white robe, and
he was informed by it that it was the history of the Nephites, a nation that had
passed away, whose founders belonged to the days of the tower of Babel. The
plates which Mr. Whitmer saw were in the shape of a tablet, fastened with
three rings, about one-third of which appeared to be loose, in plates, the
other solid, but with perceptible marks where the plates seemed to be sealed,
and the guide that pointed it out to Smith very impressively reminded him
that the loose plates alone were to be used; the sealed portion was

NOT TO BE TAMPERED WITH.

After the plates had been translated, which process required about six
months, the same heavenly visitant appeared and reclaimed the gold tablets
of the ancient people, informing Smith that he would replace them with
other records of the lost tribes that had been brought with them during their
wanderings from Asia, which would be forthcoming when the world was
ready to receive them. At that time Mr. Whitmer saw the tablet, gazed with
awe on the celestial messenger, heard him speak and say: “Blessed is the Lord
and he that keeps His commandments;” and then, as he held the plates and
turned them over with his hands, so that they could be plainly visible, a voice
that seemed to fill all space, musical as the sighing of a wind through the for¬
est, was heard, saying: “What you see is true: testify to the same.” And Oliver
Cowdrey and David Whitmer, standing there, felt, as the white garments of
the angel faded from their vision and the heavenly voice still rang in their
ears, that it was no delusion—that it was a fact; and they so recorded it. In a
day or two after 9 the same spirit appeared to Martin Harris 10 while he was in
company with Smith, and told him also to bear witness to its truth, which he
did, as can be seen in the book. Harris described the visitant to Whitmer,
who recognized it as the same that he and Cowdrey had seen.

The tablets or plates were translated by Smith, who used a small oval or
kidney-shaped stone, called Urim and Thummim, that seemed endowed

9. This is obviously an error since all other accounts (e.g., VI.A. 12,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1
JUN 1881) indicate that Harris saw the plates on the same day as Whitmer and
Cowdery.

10. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

11. Concerning the use of the terms “Urim and Thummim” for the “seer
stone,” see VI.A.8, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS’ HERALD, 13 OCT
1879.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

with the marvelous power of converting the characters on the plates, when
used by Smith, into English, who would then dictate to Cowdrey what to
write. Frequently one character would make two lines of manuscript, while
others made but a word or two words. Mr. Whitmer emphatically asserts, as
did Harris and Cowdrey, that while Smith was dictating the translation he
had

NO MANUSCRIPT NOTES OR OTHER MEANS OF KNOWLEDGE

save the seer-stone and the characters as shown on the plates, he being pres¬
ent and cognizant how it was done.

In regard to the statement that Sidney Rigden 12 had purloined the
work of one Spaulding, a Presbyterian preacher, who had written a romance
entitled “The Manuscript Found.” Mr. Whitmer says there is no foundation
for such an assertion. The “Book of Mormon” was translated in the summer
of 1829, and printed that winter at Palmyra, N.Y., and was in circulation be¬
fore Sidney Rigden knew anything concerning the Church of Christ, as it
was known then. His attention was specially brought to it by the appearance
at his church, near Kirtland, C[hio]., in the fall of 1830, of Parley Pratt and
Oliver Cowdrey, he being at that time a Reformed or Christian preacher,
they having been sent west by the church in New York during that summer
as evangelists, and they carried with them the printed book, the first time that
he knew such a thing was in existence. Upon being appealed to by Pratt and
Cowdrey for the use of the church, he informed them that as he was endeav¬
oring to establish the rules and get back into the ancient usages of Christian¬
ity, and desired all the light that he could get that was of benefit to his fel¬
low-men, he would do so, and would like to hear them. Then they gave him
a copy of the book that it has been asserted he was the progenitor of. The re¬
sult of that meeting was that 101 persons were received into the church at
Kirtland; that Rigden and Partridge, 13 two influential preachers, were sent as
delegates to New York to see Joseph Smith, and they were so much im¬
pressed with his history of the book and his connection therewith that they
became firm believers, and started back home as evangelists, preaching the
new religion. In a short time thereafter, Smith, Whitmer, and others learned
of the beautiful country in Ohio, moved west, and the church increased rap¬
idly, and would have so continued had it not strayed from the true path, to
preach only Christ and Him crucified, as it had begun. Mr. Whitmer em-

12. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

13. On Edward Partridge (1793-1840), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 193.

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES , 1881

phatically asserts that he has heard Rigden, in the pulpit and in private con¬
versations, declare that the Spaulding story, that he had used a book called
“The Manuscript Found” for the purpose of preparing the “Book of Mor¬
mon,” was as false as were many other charges that were then being made
against the infant church, and he assures me that the story is as

UNTRUTHFUL AS IT IS RIDICULOUS . 14

In his youth Joseph Smith was quite illiterate, knew nothing of gram¬
mar or composition, but obtained quite a good education after he came west;
was a man of great magnetism, made friends easily, was liberal and noble in
his impulses, tall, finely, formed, and full of animal life, but sprung from the
most humble circumstances. The first good suit of clothes he had ever worn
was presented to him by Christian Whitmer, brother of David.

As an evidence of their belief in the divine origin of the book, Martin
Harris, one of the witnesses, mortgaged his farm for $1,500 for the purpose of
having it printed, and the sale of the book soon reimbursed him for the out¬
lay. Now millions of copies are being published and sent to the furthermost
ends of the earth. A few years since, I was present at an interview between
Mr. Whitmer and Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, 13 who had been sent
from Utah to Richmond to secure the original manuscript, and after a careful
examination Elder Pratt pronounced it the writing of Oliver Cowdrey, and
informed those present that it was the original manuscript from which the
“Book of Mormon” had been printed, and in a conversation with the writer
he assured me that the archives of the church at Salt Lake were incomplete
without it; that they would pay Father Whitmer, as he termed him, any rea¬
sonable price for it, but that Whitmer would not part with it under any cir¬
cumstances, regarding it as a sacred trust. Mr. Whitmer also has a number of
other records of the early church, ere it had, as he says, “broke loose from the
teachings of Christf,] and [he] acknowledge^] nothing as divine save as it was
taught from the bible and the ‘Book of Mormon.’”

Mr. Whitmer’s beliefs have

UNDERGONE NO CHANGE

since his early manhood; he has refused to affiliate with any of the various
branches that have sprung up through false teachings, and rests his hopes of
the future “in the teachings of Christ, the apostles, and the prophets, and the
morals and principles inculcated in the scriptures; that the ‘Book of Mor-

14. On the Spaulding theory ofBook of Mormon origins, see Bush 1977.

15. See VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

mon’ is but the testimony of another nation concerning the truth and divin¬
ity of Christ and the bible, and that is his rock, his gospel, and his salvation.”
Seeing, with him, is believing. He is now as firm in the faith of the divinity of
the book that he saw translated as he was when the glory of the celestial visi¬
tant almost blinded him with the gleam of its glowing presence, fresh from
the godhead; and the voice, majestic, ringing out from earth to the mighty
dome of space, still lingers in his ears like a chime of silver bells. ... 16

16. David Whitmer’s Proclamation is deleted here (see VI.A. 11, DAVID
WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR 1881; see Cook 1991, 79-80).

15.

David Whitmer Interview with
William H. Kelley and George A. Blakeslee,
15 December 1881

William H. Kelley to the Editor, 16 January 1882, Saints' Herald 29 (1 March
1882): 68-69; reprinted in the Journal of History 3 (October 1910): 450-52.

EDITORIAL NOTE

David Whitmer was interviewed on 15 December 1881 by RLDS
apostle William H. Kelley 1 and George A. Blakeslee, 2 a high priest from
Galien, Michigan (see B. H. Roberts 1930, 1:131; Braden and Kelley 1884,
186). Lyndon W. Cook dates this interview to the day before Kelley wrote
to the Saints' Herald (Cook 1991, 84). However, according to Kelley, the in¬
terview occurred on “Thursday the 15th,” which rules out 15 January 1882,
a Sunday. Kelley also states that Whitmer was “upwards of seventy-six years
of age.” If correct, there were only two months during Whitmer’s sev¬
enty-sixth year that Thursday fell on the 15th: September and December.
Kelley’s mention of “last Summer” would tend to rule out September, leav¬
ing 15 December 1881 as the probable date of the interview.

... Early in the morning, Thursday the 15th [December 1881], we left
Lexington [Lafayette County, Missouri] in the stage coach, crossed the Mis¬
souri River, and was landed at the railroad depot, a mile or more from the
city. ... We were soon on the way to Richmond, Ray county, to visit David
Whitmer, one of the witnesses. Arrived about 8:30 a.m., and breakfasted at
the hotel. Here we met David Whitmer, Junior, 3 eldest son of David

1. On William H. Kelley (1841-1915), see “Introduction to William H.
and Edmund L. Kelley Collection.”

2. George A. Blakeslee (1826-90) was bom at Ellisburg, Jefferson Coun¬
ty, New York. He married Lydia Alcott in 1848, joined the RLDS Church in
1859, and became the Presiding Bishop in April 1882. In about 1854 he moved
to Galien County, Michigan, where he resided until his death (Knisley 1948,
under “Blakeslee, George A.”).

3. On David J. Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Whitmer, Senior. He looks to be about forty-five years of age. Is kind
hearted and is a firm believer in the Book of Mormon and in the testimony
borne by his father concerning it. After breakfast we called on David
Whitmer, Senior, meeting him just outside of his residence, and introducing
ourselves. He invited us into the house and directed us into a small room,
presumeably, his own resting and sleeping apartment. John Whitmer, 4 son of
John Whitmer, deceased, and two or three more gentlemen, whose names
are not remembered, were present. The women folks were house cleaning.
(Just our luck). Elder Whitmer remarked that he did not feel much like talk¬
ing as he had not been feeling well for some time. He appeared feeble. He is
now upwards of seventy-six years of age, having been born January 7th,
1805. He is of medium height, and rather of a slender build; but this appear¬
ance may be on account of age and recent illness. He has darkish brown eyes,
and his hair is white and thin. Has a good head and honest face. He talks with
ease and seemed at home with every subject suggested; and without an effort,
seemingly, went on to amplify upon it, so that we had nothing to do but
question, suggest and listen. His intellect is far more vigorous and retentive
than we expected to find. He is careful in his speech, for he studies to express
himself in such a way as not to be misunderstood; and it hurts him to be mis¬
represented. A reporter called to see him some time ago, asked a few ques¬
tions and went off and published that he had denied his testimony concern¬
ing the truth of the Book of Mormon. 5 This hurt him so, that he is very care¬
ful, now, to have some known friends present when strangers call to see him.
This accounts for the presence of others when we were there. Speaking of
Joseph Smith the Seer, he said, and this is very nearly his wording: “It makes
no difference what others say, I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God,
and he translated the Book of Mormon by the inspiration of God from the
plates of the Nephites. Some people think if they can only make it appear that
Joseph’s life and character were not perfect, and that he had human weak¬
nesses, that it would prove that he was not a prophet; yet the same persons
will believe that Moses who killed the Egyptian, and David, who had Uriah
killed, and who took a multitude of wives, and Solomon who was a polyga¬
mist and idolator; and Peter, who lied and cursed, See., were all prophets, and
should be honored and respected. What the individual life of Joseph Smith
was after he translated the Book of Mormon, has nothing to do with the
question as to whether he was, or was not inspired to bring that book forth.”

4. On John C. Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 7.

5. Perhaps a reference to VI.A.9, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH JOHN MURPHY, JUN 1880.

INTERVIEW WITH WILLIAM H. KELLEY, 1881

“Do you know anything against his character?”

“I know nothing against him. I have heard some things; these I know
nothing about. I have nothing to say about the character of any one, only as I
know. It is not my mission to talk about the character of any. My mission is to
testify concerning the truth of the coming forth of the work of God.”

“What kind of man was he when you knew him personally?”

“He was a religious and straightforward man. He had to be; for he was
illiterate and he could do nothing of himself. He had to trust in God. He
could not translate unless he was humble and possessed the right feelings to¬
wards every one. To illustrate, so you can see. One morning when he was
getting ready to continue the translation, something went wrong about the
house and he was put out about it. Something that Emma, his wife, had
done. Oliver 6 7 and I went up stairs, andjoseph came up soon after to continue
the translation, but he could not do anything. He could not translate a single
syllable. He went down stairs, out into the orchard and made supplication to
the Lord; was gone about an hour—came back to the house, asked Emma’s
forgiveness and then came up stairs where we were and the translation went
on all right. He could do nothing save he was humble and faithful.”

His statement concerning the vision they had of the plates and the angel
was as follows: “I was plowing in the field one morning, andjoseph and Oli¬
ver came along with a revelation stating that I was to be one of the witnesses
to the Book of Mormon. I got over the fence and we went out into the
woods, near by, and sat down on a log and talked awhile. We then kneeled
down and prayed. Joseph prayed. We then got up and sat on the log and were
talking, when all at once a light came down from above us and encircled us
for quite a little distance around; and the angel stood before us. He was
dressed in white, and spoke and called me by name and said ‘Blessed is he that
keepeth His commandments.’ This is all that I heard the angel say. A table
was set before us and on it the records were placed. The Records of the
Nephites, from which the Book of Mormon was translated, the brass plates,
the Ball of Directors, the sword of Laban and other plates. While we were
viewing them the voice of God spoke out of heaven saying that the Book was
true and the translation correct.”

We then asked him, “Do you remember the peculiar sensation experi¬
enced upon that occasion?” He answered very slowly and definitely.

6. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

7. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

“Yes; I remember it very distinctly; and I never think of it, from that
day to this but what that same spirit is present with me.”

“How did you know it was the voice of God?”

“We knew it was the voice of God. I knew it was the voice of God just
as well as I knew any thing.”

This narration was delivered in a mild, but fervent voice; and as he
spoke and bore witness, and we listened, the Spirit of God rested in great
power upon us like a flame of glory, or burning coal from the alter of God. It
inveloped our beings and glowed in our hearts while tears of gratitude and
joy flowed down our cheeks. Bro. Blakeslee who sat opposite, but near by
and facing me, was so moved by this divine touch—silent and heavenly
power—that he could not refrain from weeping. Despite our power of resis¬
tance, for a moment we sat speechless, uttered not a word, but with a look
exchanged thoughts and read the moving of each other’s heart. We were sat¬
isfied, established, confirmed. The Spirit of God that had been with me and
inspired my soul while defending that Record, and the divinely appointed
mission of the Seer, for lo! these many years, while standing and testifying be¬
fore multitudes, large and small, now appeared and lit up my being as with a
flame, as I listened to the voice of a chief witness testify of what he had seen,
and heard, and felt, in relation to the coming forth of this Latter Day Work.
The worthy sage testified truthfully, for God bore witness.

Whatever other men may think of David [p. 68] Whitmer, it is our be¬
lief that he is a man of God; and that he is performing his part in this great Lat¬
ter Day Work, faithfully and acceptably to his heavenly Father. He is re¬
spected and honored of his neighbors, and loved and admired by his relatives,
of which there is a large circle there, and all in the faith. Who shall say that
this man of candor, now standing upon the verge of the grave, has borne a
false witness.

Conversation ended, we were soon on the way to Stewartsville [Mis¬
souri] ...

Least some may adjudge us prolix, we close

In the faith,
WM. H. KELLEY.

COLD WATER, Mich., Jan. 16th, 1882.

16.

David Whitmer Interview with
J. W. Chatburn, 1882

[Untitled], Saints’ Herald 29 (15 June 1882): 189.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Jonas W. Chatburn (1821-1902) was born in Lancashire, England. He
immigrated to America in 1845, eventually settling in Harlan, Iowa, in 1867.
He was baptized into the RLDS church on 11 May 1869 and ordained a high
priest on 12 September 1879. He was president of the Harlan Branch for
many years and still held that office at his death. Frederick A. Smith said of
him at the funeral service: “He was an earnest, faithful worker right up to his
death. The Church lost a noble Saint, the community an excellent citizen,
the poor a tender-hearted friend, and the family a father, grandfather,
brother, a wise counselor. He left a clear record and carried the esteem and
respect of all who knew him best” ( Saints’ Herald, 49:413).

In 1882, Chatburn and other family members passed through Rich¬
mond, Missouri. Upon returning home, Chatburn apparently wrote a letter
to the editors of the Saints’ Herald in which he gave an account of their inter¬
view with Whitmer. The Herald gave the following introduction: “Bro. J.
W. Chatburn, of Harlan, Iowa, son, wife and daughter-in-law, visited Elder
David Whitmer, at Richmond, Missouri, on their way home, and after their
return, in answer to a question from us, write about as follows. ...”

“We are making progress in our preparations for church[-]building
here. I think we shall meet with good success.

“You asked the question, ‘How did you like your visit with Father
Whitmer?’ It was one of the great events of my life to visit him and Rich¬
mond. I was well repaid for time and money expended in making the trip.
We all thought we had a splendid feast at Independence, but the visit to Da¬
vid Whitmer was like having the best of the wine at the last of the feast. We
made ourselves known to his grandson and he prepared the way for us. We
visited Bro. David in the forenoon; and again in the evening at his request.
He remarked that we had brought a good spirit with us and he felt like talk¬
ing. He did talk, and I learned many things that I did not know before about
the rise of this work. One thing in particular; he says there were about forty
or fifty members in the Church when organized on April 6th, 1830. We have

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

been told and so recorded in history that there were only six members. He
explained it this way,—there were only six Elders. He said that he baptized
fourteen in Seneca Lake, a few days before the Church was organized. I asked
his wife if she was present when the Church was organized on April 6th,
1830. She replied, Yes; and was a baptized member at that time. 1 We asked
him the question: Had Joseph Smith any manuscripts of any kind by him at
the time of translating the Book of Mormon that he could read from?

“His answer was: ‘No, Sir. We did not know anything about the
Spaulding manuscript at that time.’

“We asked him if his testimony was the same now as it was at the time
the Book of Mormon was published, regarding seeing the plates and the an¬
gel. He rose to his feet, stretched out his hands and said: ‘These hands han¬
dled the plates, these eyes saw the angel, and these ears heard his voice; and I
know it was of God.’ 2

“That was the strongest testimony I ever heard, and I felt that he was
telling the truth. ...”

1. The Whitmers were probably thinking of the first church conference
held at Layette, New York, on 9 June 1830. David baptized his future wife, Julia
Ann Jolly, at that time (see VI.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 42),
along with ten other converts—not fourteen people on 6 April 1830 as he
claimed (ibid.). Whitmer is incorrect in his claim that there were six elders in the
church at its organization. However, there were six elders present at the first
conference (see discussion in introduction to IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR.,
STATEMENT, 11 AUG 1862). Finally, there were twenty-seven members by
9 June and sixty-two by 26 September 1830, another indication that Whitmer
was thinking of an occasion other than the 6 April organization (see VI.G.2,
FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2 JAN 1831, under 26
September 1830).

2. On another occasion Whitmer denied having handled the plates in vi¬
sion (see VI.A.24, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ZENAS H.
GURTEY, 14 JAN 1885, 1).

17 .

David Whitmer Interview
with James H. Hart,

21 August 1883 & 10 March 1884

1. James H. Hart, Journal-Notebook, 21 August 1883, Special Collec¬
tions and Manuscripts, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young Uni¬
versity, Provo, Utah (Hart 1978, 216).

2. James H. Hart to the Editor, 23 August 1883, Deseret Evening News,
4 September 1883. See also James H. Hart, An Interview with David
Whitmer in August, 1883 (n.p., 1883), 9 pp (Flake 1978, #3872).

3. James H. Hart to the Editor, 29 August 1883, Bear Lake Democrat
(Paris, Idaho), 15 September 1883.

4. James H. Hart, “Interview with David Whitmer,” Contributor 5
(October 1883): 9-10.

5. James H. Hart to the Editor, 18 March 1884, Deseret Evening News
17 (25 March 1884).

6. James H. Hart to the Editor, 18 March 1884, Bear Lake Democrat
(Paris, Idaho), 28 March 1884.

7. James H. Hart to the Editor, 4 April 1884, Deseret Evening News 17
(10 April 1884): 2.

EDITORIAL NOTE

James Henry Hart (1825-1906) was born in Huntingdon County,
England. In 1847 he converted to Mormonism in London and rose through
the ranks of the church before immigrating to the United States in 1854, liv¬
ing briefly in St. Louis, Missouri, and then Bloomington, Bear Lake County,
Idaho, where he served as a bishop and subsequently as a counselor in the
stake presidency. He also served as a representative in the Idaho legislature in
1876, 1877, and in 1880—the same year he was admitted to the Idaho bar
(Jenson 1971, 2:27-28). In August 1883 he was sent to Missouri to obtain a
daguerreotype of Oliver Cowdery. It was used to make an engraving for the
frontispiece of the October 1883 Contributor magazine featuring the three
witnesses. The photograph was in the possession of Cowdery’s daughter,
Marie Louise Johnson, then living in South West City, Missouri. Prior to
procuring the photograph, Hart visited and interviewed David Whitmer on
21 August 1883, then returned to interview him again on 10 March 1884
when he returned the photograph (see Hart 1997, 119-23).

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

1. Journal-Notebook, 21 August 1883 j 1 2
August 21st, 1883.

Richmond[,] Missouri

I met David Whitmer and his son David and had a pleasant conversa¬
tion with them.

He (David Whitmer, Senior) said persons want to know about the pre¬
sentation of the plates to himself and other witnesses—but there was a glory
attending it that no one could describe.

David Whitmer said, “I have been visited by thousands of people, be¬
lievers and unbelievers, men and ladies of all degrees, sometimes as many as
15 in one day, and have never failed in my testimony. And they will know
some day that my testimony is true. I had a mob of from four to five hundred
surrounding me at one time, demanding that I should deny my published
statement in the Book of Mormon; but the testimony I bore the mob made
them tremble before me/ I heard the voice of the Angel just as stated in said
Book, and the engravings on the plates were shown to us, and we were com¬
manded to bear record of them; and if they are not true, then there is no
truth, and if there is no truth there is no God; if there is no God then there is
no existence. But there is a God, and I know it.

“When we were first told to publish our statement, we felt sure the
people would not believe it, for the Book told of a people who were refined
and dwelt in large cities; but the Lord told us that He would make it known
to the people, and people should discover the ruins of the lost cities and
abundant evidence of the truth of what is written in the Book.”

David Whitmer, Junior, 3 * 5 said the manuscript copy they had of the
Book of Mormon was marvelously preserved at the time when the town of
Richmond was visited by a cyclone. Thirty-two persons were killed; the
Court House was blown entirely away. Some of the books were found forty
miles distant. The Whitmer house was all blown down except the small

1. According to Hart family members, this source “seems to be a long-
hand transcription of his shorthand notes, written by James H. Hart in one of his
notebooks” (Hart 1978, 216).

2. This seems to be the incident John P. Green related in his 1839 Facts
Relating to the Expulsion of the Mormons ... from the State of Missouri (see “David
Whitmer Addendum”).

3. On David J. Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬

VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

room where the records were kept—in which room not a window was bro¬
ken.

David Whitmer, Junior, said, “As I went uptown, an unbeliever said:
‘Well, David, how about the records?’ I answered, ‘They are safe, no doubt.’
And sure enough, when I had time to examine the premises, I found all safe.”

[2. Letter to the Deseret News, 23 August 1883]

SENECA, Newton County,
Missouri, Aug. 23d, 1883.

Editor Deseret News:

... Having some business in Richmond, Ray County, I took occasion
to call on Mr. David Whitmer, who was suffering considerably from the in¬
tense heat, but I had, notwithstanding, a long and pleasant conversation with
him and his son, David Whitmer, Jr. After mutual introductions, I remarked
that although I had no doubt of the truth of his published statement and testi¬
mony in the Book of Mormon, I should be pleased to hear the testimony
from his own lips. He said: “Persons may attempt to describe the presenta¬
tion of the plates as shown to himself and other witnesses, but there was a
glory attending it that no one could describe, no human tongue could tell the
glorious scenes that were presented to them. Joseph Smith was there and Ol¬
iver Cowdery 4 5 and himself—Martin Harris 3 did not come as expected, but
they were shown to him a short time after.” “Did the personage or angel
who showed you the plates tell you his name?” I asked. Mr. Whitmer re¬
plied: “No, he did not. The idea has obtained ground that it was Moroni, the
last of the Nephite Prophets. It may have been Moroni or it may have been
one of the three Nephite Apostles who were promised that they should not
taste of death. It is not important who he was, but I know he was a messenger
from God. I have been visited by thousands of people, he remarked, believers
and unbelievers, amongst them a Governor of this State, gentlemen and la¬
dies of all degrees and from many nations, sometimes 15 or 20 in a day, all
wanting to know if these things are true. I have been surrounded by hostile
mobs, on one occasion numbering four or five hundred demanding I should
deny what is published over my name in the Book of Mormon; but the testi¬
mony I gave to that mob made them fear and tremble, and I escaped from

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

5. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

them. One gentleman, a doctor, an unbeliever, told me afterwards that the
bold and fearless testimony borne on that occasion and the fear that seemed
to take hold of the mob had made him a believer in the Book of Mormon.”
Mr. Whitmer said further: “I heard the voice of the angel, and saw the en¬
gravings on the plates, and the plates, just as stated in the Book of Mormon.
And we were commanded to bear record of these things and that the book
was translated by the gift and power of God. You see that small table by the
wall,” he remarked. “Yes,” I replied. “Well, there was a table about that size,
and the heavenly messenger brought the several plates and laid them on the
table before our eyes, and we saw them, and bore testimony of them, and our
testimony is true. And if these things are not true then there is no truth, and if
there is no truth there is no God, and if there is no God there is no existence.
But I know there is a God, for I have heard His voice and witnessed the man¬
ifestation of his power.” He said moreover, that when they were first com¬
manded to testify of these things they demurred and told the Lord the people
would not believe them for the book concerning which they were to bear
record told of a people who were educated and refined, dwelling in large cit¬
ies; whereas all that was then known of the early inhabitants of this country
was the filthy, lazy, degraded and ignorant savages that were roaming over
the land.” The Lord told us, in reply that he would make it known to the
people that the early inhabitants of this land had been just such a people as
they were described in the book, and he would lead them to discover the ru¬
ins of the great cities, and they should have abundant evidence of the truth of
that which is written in the book, all of which,” said Mr. Whitmer, “has been
fulfilled to the very letter.”

Mr. David Whitmer, Junr., spoke of the strange and wonderful preser¬
vation of the written copy of the book which Oliver Cowdery left in his fa¬
ther’s charge, and the hieroglyphics which Martin Harris took to Professor
Anthon, 6 of New York. In the cyclone that devastated the town of Rich¬
mond a few years ago, the court-house and many other buildings were swept
entirely away. Some books belonging to the court-house were carried over
40 miles, and the Whitmer house was all destroyed, except the small room in
which the said documents were kept, in which not a window was broken. A
few minutes after the catastrophe he met an unbelieving scoffer in the street
who said, “Well, Dave, how about those records?” And I told him they were
all right, although I had not then had an opportunity to look after them. My
father was hurt by the flying timber, for the house on the west side of the road

6. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

was blown through ours, and thirty-two persons were killed and many badly
wounded, but when matters had subsided a little and we examined the room
and the box where the manuscript was kept we found it to our satisfaction as
we had left it, and as it is now, in a good state of preservation.” ...

Yours very truly,
JAMES H. HART...

[3. Letter to Bear Lake Democrat, 29 August 1883]

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 1883.

Editor Democrat:

... I spent one day in Richmond, Mo., and had an interesting interview
with David Whitmer, one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon.
He reiterated his testimony of the visitation of the Angel, and his presenta¬
tion of the plates of brass and gold, and showing the engraving on said plates,
and told it with an earnestness and with a bold assurance that was peculiarly
interesting. I have had no doubt for the last 35 years but that the witnesses
saw and heard all they have testified. It was, however, intensely interesting to
hear this veteran of over seventy years, who has been retired from the
Church since the fiendish persecutions by Missouri mobs in 1838. It was I say
intensely interesting, to hear him say, “I saw the heavenly messenger, and I
heard his voice, and he brought the plates and laid them before us, and
showed us the engravings on them and commanded us to bear testimony to
all the world, and our testimony is true.” ...

Yours very truly,
JAMES H. HART.

[4. Poem, October 1883]

I met an aged man the other day,

In Richmond, Missouri, in County Ray,
His step was feeble, but his eye was bright,
And in it beamed intelligence and light.

“Pray is it true,” I asked, “that you have been
With heavenly messengers, and have seen
The records, called the plates of brass and gold,
Of which Moroni, in his book, has told?[”]

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

He lifted up his voice, and thus replied:

“My written statement I have ne’er denied;

I saw the messenger, and heard his voice,

And other things that made my heart rejoice.

“Joseph Smith and Oliver were there,

And what I saw and heard I do declare,

With words of soberness and sacred truth;

I’ve borne this testimony from my youth.

“I do not know the angel’s rank or name,

Who on the great and glorious mission came;

I know that he was clothed with power and might,
And was surrounded with effulgent light.

“No tongue can tell the glory and the power
That was revealed to us in that blest hour.

The plates of brass and gold, with angel’s care,
Were placed before us as we waited there.

“We saw the fine engravings on them, too,

And heard the voice declare the book was true,
and what we saw and heard was by the grace
Of Him who died to save the human race.

“We’ve done as they commanded us to do,

And testify the Book of Mormon’s true,

And was translated by the power given
The Prophet Joseph by the God of Heaven.

“If this be not truth, there is no truth,

And I have been mistaken from my youth.

If I’m mistaken, you may know from hence
That there’s no God, no law, no life, no sense.

“I know there is a God—I’ve heard his voice,
And in his power and truth do still rejoice;
Though fools may ridicule and laugh to-day,
They yet shall know the truth of what I say. [”]

100

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

I asked a Gentile lawyer if he knew

The witnesses, and if he thought them true.

“Well, yes,” he said, “Eve known them from my youth,

And know them to be men of sterling truth.

“What David Whitmer says the people know,

May be regarded as precisely so.

He’s not a man to shade the truth, or lie,

But one on whom you safely may rely.

“Think you that Joseph Smith could them deceive,
By forging plates, could make them all believe
That they had seen an angel of the Lord,

Or pequre them, and all, with one accord?”

I asked a Gentile doctor, and was told

That David Whitmer’s word was good as gold.

“His honesty is fairly crystallized—

His name will ever be immortalized.

“Although its all a mystery to me,

I know he’s honest as a man can be;

I’d stake upon his word my very life,

And so would this my good and noble wife.[”]

James H. Hart.

[5. Letter to the Deseret News, 18 March 1884]

NEW YORK, March 18th, 1884.

Editor Deseret News:

En route to this city I called on David Whitmer, who had invited me
me to visit him again and examine the manuscript copy of the Book of Mor¬
mon, etc. On the 10th instfant]. [of March.] I had a pleasant interview, a few
items of which may not be without interest to many of your readers. He
greeted me with a happy smile as he remembered my former visit and the

101

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

lines written commemorating the interview, which he endorsed as a correct
expression of his sentiments.

MANUSCRIPT COPY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON.

Knowing the object of my visit, he brought the manuscript, which was
carefully wrapped and tied, and with evident satisfaction and modest pride,
unwrapped and spread it before me. Considering the fifty odd years since it
was in the hands of Major [John H.] Gilbert, 7 the printer, it is well preserved.
It is written closely on unruled foolscap of a poor quality, of which, there is
fully one half ream, and perhaps more. Being written closely from side to
side, there is no blank margin. It is singularly free from corrections, and has
no erasures, nor interlineations, so far as I could discover. Quite a number of
the sheets had been cut in three pieces or “takes,” obviously for the use of the
printers. They were replaced in position, small pieces of blank paper placed
over, and planed together.

Observing two or three styles of writing, and the certificate from the
Clerk of the Court of Wayne County, that it had been copyrighted there in
June, 1884 [1829], 8 1 remarked that it looked very much as though it was the
original copy, and it would in fact take considerable more evidence than I
had seen to convince me that it was not the original and only written copy.
Mr. Whitmer said, “I know, positively, that it is so. Why, look at this,” he re¬
marked, “here is some of my poor old mother’s yarn, that was used to fasten
the sheets together.” And sure enough there was the sheep’s gray yarn, that
fastened a certain number of sheets together in several divisions. As this is a
disputed question, I simply submit the foregoing, leaving each person to
judge for himself.

THE SPECIMEN HIEROGLYPHICS.

I was shown the reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics, that were copied
from the plates by the Prophet Joseph, and taken by Martin Harris to Profes¬
sors [Charles] Anthon and [Samuel L.] Mitchell, 9 of New York City, in Feb¬
ruary, 1828. They are written on unruled paper, about three and a half inches
by seven, and all up seven lines, making about thirty-five inches of writing. 10

7. On John H. Gilbert (1802-95), see “Introduction to John H. Gilbert
Collection.”

8. See III.L.12, BOOK OF MORMON COPYRIGHT, 11JUN 1829.

9. On Samuel L. Mitchell (1764-1831), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 45.

10. See V.E.2, BOOK OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-
FEB 1828.

102

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

They remind me very much of some Egyptian hieroglyphics I have seen in
the British Museum, London, and in other collections. ...

HOW MR. WHITMER FIRST HEARD OF IT.

Mr. Whitmer said the first he heard concerning the Prophet Joseph and
the “Golden Bible” as it was then called, was from Oliver Cowdery, who
was then quite a young man, about his own age, who went to the neighbor¬
hood where Joseph had lived, and where his parents and family still lived and
taught school. “Oliver promised if he could find out anything definite and
reliable he would let me know. Soon after this Oliver told me that certain
young men about Joseph’s age, who had been raised with him in the neigh¬
borhood, were very angry against Joseph and complained against him bit¬
terly, saying he had not kept his word with them, for he had promised to give
them some of the golden plates when he obtained them, whereas he had got
them and had not given them any as he had promised. When Oliver sug¬
gested to them that perhaps Joseph had not got them, they replied angrily:
We know he has, for we have seen the place on the hill where he got
them.” 11

Mr. Whitmer, continuing his narrative, said: “Soon after this, Oliver
concluded to go and see Joseph and learn all he could about the matter, and
promised to write and tell me the result of his inquiries. So about the begin¬
ning of April, 1829, he went to Harmony, Susquehanna County, Pennsylva¬
nia, where Joseph had gone to get away from his enemies, and to escape those
who were trying to get the plates from him, for he was told by the personage
who gave him charge of said plates, that if he should let them go carelessly,
or, through negligence, he should be cut off. Soon after Oliver’s arrival in
Harmony, 12 he wrote to me and said that Joseph had enquired of the Lord
concerning him, and had told him [Oliver] secrets of his life that he knew
could not be known to any person but himself, in any other way than by rev¬
elation from the Almighty. 13

“Some little time after this he wrote asking me to take a team and fetch
Joseph and himself to my father’s home, in Fayette, Seneca County, New
York, where they would continue the translation. I consulted with my father
who consented that I should take a team as requested and bring them home. I

11. See also VI. A. 12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KAN¬
SAS CITYJOURNAL, 1 JUN 1881. A similar statement was given by Martin
Hams (see III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JOEL TIF¬
FANY, 1859, 167).

12. Cowdery and Samuel Smith arrived at Harmony on 5 April 1829.

13. See D&C 6.

103

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

was a little over two and a half days going, and traveled over 40 miles the first
day, and met them on the third day at the head of Cayuga Lake. 14 Oliver told
me they knew just when I started, where I put up at night and even the name
on the sign board of the hotel where I stayed each night, for he had asked Jo¬
seph to look in the Seer stone, that he did so, and told him all these particulars
of my journey, which Oliver had carefully noted in his book.

“Oliver asked me when I first met them, when I left home, where I
stayed on the road, and the names of the persons keeping the hotels. I could
not tell the names, but as we returned I pointed out the several houses where
I had stopped, when he pulled out his book and found it to be correct even to
the names. 15

THE TRANSLATION.

“In regard to the translation,” said Mr. Whitmer, “it was a laborious
work for the weather was very warm, and the days were long, and they
worked from morning till night. But they were both young and strong and
were soon able to complete the work.

“The way it was done was thus: Joseph would place the seer-stone in a
deep hat, and placing his face close to it, would see, not the stone, but what
appeared like an oblong piece of parchment, on which the hieroglyphics
would appear, and also the translation in the English language, all appearing
in bright luminous letters. Joseph would then read it to Oliver, who would
write it down as spoken. Sometimes Joseph could not pronounce the words
correctly, having had but little education; and if by any means a mistake was
made in the copy, the luminous writing would remain until it was cor¬
rected. 16 It sometimes took Oliver several trials to get the right letters to spell
correctly some of the more difficult words, but when he had written them
correctly, the characters and the interpretation would disappear, and be re¬
placed by other characters and their interpretation.

14. This is an obvious error since the “head of Cayuga Lake” is less than
ten miles from the Whitmer residence. Whitmer had previously told Orson
Pratt and Joseph F. Smith that when he arrived in Harmony, Smith and
Cowdery met him “a little distance from [Smith’s] house” (VI.A.7, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F.
SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878).

15. Cf. VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER WITH CHICAGO TIMES, AUG
1875; and VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878.

16. The physical evidence does not bear out Whitmer’s description. Vari¬
ant spellings of words, including proper names, appear uncorrected in the origi¬
nal manuscripts.

104

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

“When the seer-stone was not placed in the hat, no characters or writ¬
ing could be seen therein, but when so placed then the hieroglyphics would
appear as before described. Some represented but one word, or name, some
represented several, and some from one to two lines.

“Emma, 17 Joseph’s wife, came to my father’s house a short time after
Joseph and Oliver came, and she wrote a little of the translation, my brother
Christian wrote some, 18 but Oliver wrote the greater portion of it.”

TRUE TO THEIR TESTIMONY.

Mr. Whitmer felt very indignant while speaking of certain statements
published recently to the effect that he and Oliver Cowdery had denied their
statement as published in the Book of Mormon. 19 This he denounced as false
in every particular. He said: “Oliver never wavered in his testimony, and
when he was on his death bed, I was there, with many of his friends, until he
passed away. He bore the same testimony on his dying bed that he had always
borne through life, and earnestly called upon all to cleave to the truth re¬
vealed through the Prophet Joseph, and to serve the Lord. As for myself, I
have never denied my testimony that is published in the Book of Mormon,
for I know that God has revealed these things for the salvation of the children
of men, and to Him belongs all the honor, the power and the glory.”

Many other interesting items were given by Mr. Whitmer during our
interview, but I have already extended this communication much longer
than I intended.

JAMES H. HART.

[6. Letter to Bear Lake Democrat, 18 March 1884 ] 20

NEW YORK, March 18th, 1884.

17. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

18. Christian Whitmer’s scribal work is mentioned in VI.A.14, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIME , 14 OCT 1881;
VI.A.18, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE Q. CAN¬
NON, 27 FEB 1884; and VI.A.26, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 15 DEC 1885. His handwriting has yet to be
identified among the original manuscripts. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835),
see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

19. See VI.A.11, DAVID WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR

1881.

20. Hart wrote this on the same day he wrote to the Deseret News. While

105

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Editor Democrat:

After nearly two weeks traveling, I have reached my old quarters at the
Grand Central Hotel, where I shall be pleased to meet my friends when pass¬
ing to and fro on their missionary labors, or their pleasure trips.

I had a pleasant visit in Salt Lake City for a few days, while en route, and
having learned from Pres. Geofrge]. Q. Cannon, who had lately visited Mr.
David Whitmer, that he was expecting me to call again and see the manu¬
script copy of the Book of Mormon, &c., I called to see him and had a pleas¬
ant interview on the 10th inst. Although quite feeble he greeted me with a
beaming eye, and a happy smile, as he remembered my former visit, and the
lines I wrote upon the interview, which he had read in the Contributor for
October 1883, and fully endorsed as a correct expression of his sentiments
concerning the ministration of the angel, and the plates that were shown him
and the other witnesses on that occasion.

Knowing the object of my visit, Mr. Whitmer brought the manuscript,
which was carefully wrapt and tied. He untied the string, unwrapped the
package, and with modest pride and satisfaction showed the said manuscript.
It was well preserved considering the 50 odd years since it was in the hands of
the printer. It is closely written on unruled foolscap, which would now be
considered a poor quality, of which there is fully one half ream, and perhaps
more. Most of it is in the same handwriting, and said by Mr. Whitmer, to be
Oliver Cowdery’s writing; although his brother Christian, he said, had writ¬
ten a portion of it. It is written closely from side to side leaving no margin. It
is singularly free from corrections, and has no interlineations, nor erasure, so
far as I could discover. Quite a number of the sheets had been cut in three
pieces, obviously for the use of the printer. They were replaced in position
and pinned together, small pieces of blank paper being placed over the places
cut.

I remarked that it looked very much like the original copy has been de¬
scribed, and finding two or three different kinds of writing, and the clerk of
the Wayne Co. Court’s certificate, that it had been entered, or copyrighted
in said county, I remarked, it would take considerable [more evidence] to
convince me that it is not the original and only copy. Mr. Whitmer said he
knew positively that it was so; but as this is a disputed question, I simply sub¬
mit the foregoing as my opinion.

the two contain similar wording, variations and additions in the present letter
warrant its inclusion here.

21. See VI.A.18, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE
Q. CANNON, 27 FEB 1884.

106

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

I was shown, moreover, the Egyptian characters copied by the Prophet
Joseph Smith and taken by Martin Harris to Profs. Anthon and Mitchell of
this city, in February 1828. They are written on unruled paper, about three
and a half inches deep, by seven inches wide. The writing is in seven lines,
making about 34 inches; and reminds me very much of some hieroglyphics I
have seen in the British Museum, London, and other collections. ...

Mr. Whitmer said the first he heard concerning Joseph Smith and the
“Gold Bible,” as it was called—for the name “Mormon” was not then
known—was from his friend Oliver Cowdery, who was then a young man
about his own age, who went to the neighborhood where Joseph had lived,
and where his parents and family still lived, and taught school; he promised if
he could learn anything definitely about the matter, to write and let him
know, and soon after was told by Oliver that certain young men about Jo¬
seph’s age, who had been raised with him in the neighborhood, were very
angry against Joseph and complained against him bitterly, saying he had not
kept his word with them, for he had promised to give them some of the
golden plates when he obtained them, whereas he had got them and had not
given them any as he had promised. When Oliver suggested to them that
perhaps Joseph had not got them, they replied: We know he has, for we have
seen the place in the hill where he got them.”

Mr. Whitmer, continuing his narrative, said: “Soon after, Mr. Cow¬
dery went to Susquehanna County, Penn, where Joseph had gone to get
away from his enemies, and to escape those who were trying to get the plates
from him; for he had been told by the personage who gave him said plates,
that if he should let them go carelessly or through negligence, he should be
cut off. Soon after his arrival in Harmony, he wrote to me and said that Jo¬
seph had enquired of the Lord concerning him, and had told him secrets of
his life that he knew could not be known in any other way than by revelation
from the Almighty. Some little time after, he wrote asking me to take a team
and fetch Joseph and himself to his father’s house, in Fayette, Seneca County,
New York, where they would continue the translation. I consulted with my
father who consented that I should take a team as requested, and bring them
home. I was a little over two and a halfdays going, and traveled over 40 miles
the first day, and met them on the third day at the head of Cayuga Lake, Sen¬
eca Co. Oliver told me, [that] they knew just when I started, where I put up
at night and even the name on the sign board of the hotel where I stayed each
night, for he had asked Joseph to look in the Seer stone, that he did so and
told him all these particulars of my journey. Oliver asked me when I first met
them, when I left home, where I stayed on the road, and the names of the
persons at Hotels. I could not tell the names; but as we returned I pointed out
the several houses where I had stopped, when he took out his book and

107

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

found them to correspond even to the names on the sign boards, all of which
he had written before we met. As had been told to him by the Prophet, and
which agreed in every particular.

[“]In regard to the translation it was a laborious work, for the weather
was very warm; and the days were long, but both Joseph and Oliver were
young and strong and soon able to complete the work. The way it was done
was thus: Joseph would place the Seer stone in a deep hat, and placing his face
close to it would see, not the Seer stone, but what appeared like an oblong
piece of parchment, on which the hieroglyphic would appear, and the trans¬
lation in the English language, all appearing in bright luminous letters. Joseph
would then read it to Oliver, who would write it down as spoken. Some¬
times Joseph could not pronounce the words correctly, and if any mistake
was made in the copy, the luminous writing, would remain until it was cor¬
rected. It sometimes took Oliver several trials to get the right letters to spell
correctly some of the more difficult words, and when he had written them
correctly the characters and the interpretation would disappear, and be re¬
placed by other characters; and their interpretation. When the Seer stone was
not placed in the hat, nothing could be seen therein; but when placed there
the hieroglyphics would appear; some represented but one word or, name.
Some represented several, and some from one to nearly two lines. Emma
wrote some little for Joseph, my brother Christian some, but Oliver
Cowdery wrote most of it. f”]

Mr. Whitmer felt very indignant while speaking of certain false state¬
ments made recently to the effect that he and Oliver Cowdery had denied
their statements, as published in the Book of Mormonf,] which he de¬
nounced as false in every particular. He said Oliver never wavered in his tes¬
timony, and when he [Oliver] was on his death bed he [David] was with him
with other[s] of his friends until he passed away. And he [Oliver] bore the
same testimony on his dying bed that he had always borne through life. And
earnestly called upon all to cleave to the truth revealed through the Prophet
Joseph and to serve the Lord. [“]And as for myself I have never denied my
testimony contained in the Book of Mormon for I know that God has re¬
vealed these things for the salvation of the children of men, and to him be¬
longs all the honor praise and glory.”

While speaking of the manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon that
Oliver placed in his charge, and its claim as the original copy, and written di¬
rect from the translators dictation. He exclaimed, why here is some of my
poor old mother’s yarn, that was used to fasten the sheets together, and sure
enough there was the sheeps gray yarn run through many of the sheets, and
fastened about twelve sheets together in the several divisions.

Many other interesting items were given during our interviews but I

108

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES H. HARTT, 1883 & 1884

have already extended this communication much longer than intended and
therefore conclude.

Yours very truly,
JAMES H. HART.

[7. Letter to the Deseret News, 4 April 1884]

NEW YORK, April 4th, 1884.

Editor Deseret News:

The following is taken from the editorial columns of the Journal and
Courier, New Haven, Conn.:

“When ‘the Book of Mormon’ was published in 1830 there was pub¬
lished with it a certificate of three men, afterward known as the ‘three wit¬
nesses,’ who declared that they saw an angel of God come down with the
golden book which Joseph Smith interpreted. Subsequently all three of these
men renounced Mormonism and declared their testimony false. David F.
Whitmer, one of the three, is now living, in his 80th year, in Missouri. He
was a brother-in-law of Oliver Cowdery, who wrote a copy of the book for
Smith.”

The subjoined clipping [below] from said journal of April 2d, will ex¬
plain itself, giving a pleasing change to the policy of the average editor, who
when he lies concerning the “Mormons,” is [indifferent to errors of fact]
whenever he writes about them.

Respectfully,
JAMES H. HART.

THE “BOOK OF MORMON”—MR. WHITMER’S TESTIMONY.

To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:

Whilst in West Haven a few days ago a friend called my attention to a
statement made in your issue of the 17th of March, namely, that the three
witnesses who declared that they saw an angel of God come down with the
golden book which Joseph Smith interpreted had subsequently renounced
Mormonism and declared their testimony false.

Having visited Mr. David Whitmer on the 10th of March, and being
familiar with his feelings and history, I could give some items that would be
interesting to many of your readers who may wish to be informed more fully
in relation to his attitude and views concerning said book. Mr. Whitmer is
the only living witness of the eleven whose names are published, and who

109

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

declare they saw the plates, and one of the three who declared they saw an
angel of God who showed them the plates. The three did leave the Church,
as you state, but not one of them ever denied the statement aforesaid. The
other two—Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris—returned to the Church a
few years before their death, and bore the same testimony to the end.

Mr. Whitmer, referring to the statement which had appeared in some
other journals, felt very indignant, and declared to me, in the presence of his
son and others, that his statement was true, that he had never denied it, and
that he was with Oliver Cowdery on his death bed, that he then and there
bore the same testimony he had always borne through life.

Mr. Whitmer is not a member of the “Mormon” Church. He retired
with a great many others in 1838, when the Church was expelled from Mis¬
souri at the point of the bayonet. The sufferings and afflictions were greater
than many could bear, and they dropped out by the way, but they never wa¬
vered in their statement, and though nearly 80 years old, as you say, he is im¬
movable in regard to what he saw and heard as published on the fifth page of
the Book of Mormon, as any person may know by calling upon him at his
home in Richmond, Ray County, Missouri.

For the benefit of those who would wish for further evidence, and have
no opportunity of hearing his statement orally, I subjoin a statement pub¬
lished over his signature and dated Richmond March 19th, 1881. ... 22

As stated above, I had an interview with the said David Whitmer two
weeks ago, when he reiterated the above with a boldness and assurance that
would convince the most skeptical of his absolute conviction of the truth of
his remarkable statements. A person might believe him to be deceived, but
could not believe him to be insincere.

JAMES H. HART.

22. Whitmer’s proclamation is here deleted (see VI. A. 11, DAVID WHIT¬
MER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR 1881).

110

18 .

David Whitmer Interview with
George Q. Cannon,

27 February 1884

1. George Q. Cannon, Journal, 27 February 1884, LDS Church Ar¬
chives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. George Q. Cannon, “Topics of the Times ” Juvenile Instructor 19 (1
April 1884): 106-7.

EDITORIAL NOTE

George Quayle Cannon (1827-1901) was born in Liverpool, Lanca¬
shire, England. His parents, George and Ann Quayle Cannon, were con¬
verted to Mormonism in 1840 and immigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842.
In 1847 he traveled with the main body of the church to Salt Lake City.
Among his many church offices, he is most noted for having served as a
counselor to LDS presidents John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo
Snow. He died in Monterey, California (Jenson 1971, 1:42-51).

The portion of his journal that relates to his interview with Whitmer
was published sixty-one years later in the LDS Instructor (80 [November
1945]: 518-21) and more recently in Cook (1991, 106-110). Because I was
denied access to the Cannon journal, I have followed Cook’s transcription;
Cook thanks “Adrian Cannon for his permitting us to proof this entry against
his [Adrian’s] typescript of the Diary of George Q. Cannon.” The second se¬
lection below is an account for which Cannon evidently relied on his jour¬
nal. It was published a little more than a month following the event.

[1. Journal, 21 February 1884]

Wednesday, February 27, 1884. Took train at 6:45 a.m. for Richmond.
Changed at Lexington Junction where we remained until after 10 a.m. At
Richmond I met David J. Whitmer, 1 son of David Whitmer, one of the wit¬
nesses of the Book of Mormon. He said his father was feeble, but he thought
he could arrange for me to see him. I took dinner at the Wasson House, and

1. On David J. Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
5.

Ill

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

at about half past one Mr. Whitmer [the son] called at the Hotel for me. His
father lived close by. He pointed out the track of a cyclone which had visited
the town in 1878 and which had left their house, rather the room in which
the manuscript of the Book of Mormon was kept, in such a condition as to
astonish all the people—the roof was taken off, but nothing was disturbed
and the glass was not broken even.

The old gentleman (he was born January 1805) soon entered. He is a
man who probably stood in his early manhood 5 feet 10 inches or perhaps 5
feet 11 inches in height, not fleshy at present, but rather inclined to leanness.
I noticed in shaking hands with him that the thumb of his right hand is miss¬
ing and the hand has a long scar in the center. His hair is thin and he is rather
bald. His nose is aquiline, and his eyes black or a dark brown. His likeness,
which was shown me, painted in oil when he was 32 years, makes him appear
a handsome man of marked features, rather Jewish looking, with a head of
thick hair inclined to curl.

He had his son bring in the manuscript of the Book of Mormon, which
he says is the only manuscript of which he knows anything. It is in the hand¬
writing of several persons which he says were Oliver Cowdery, Emma
Smith, Martin Harris, and perhaps some of it in that of his brother Christian,
who assisted the Prophet somewhat. 2 This is the manuscript from which the
printers, he says, set the type of the Book, and he pointed out to me where it
had been cut for convenience as copy. I noticed printer’s marks through the
manuscript, still it was very clean for copy that printers had handled. This he
explained as the consequence of the care taken by Oliver Cowdery 3 in
watching the manuscript while in the printer’s hands. It was fastened to¬
gether, not as a whole, but a few folios, not more than a dozen, with woolen
yarn, which he said was his mother’s. This was exceedingly interesting to me
and I examined it with care, and a feeling of reverence.

But with this was another paper which I thought of surpassing interest.
It was the characters drawn by Joseph Smith himself for Martin Harris 4 5 to
show to Professors MitchelP and Anthon. 6 There were seven lines, the first

2. Royal Skousen has determined that the handwritings in the printer’s
copy are those of Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, and an unknown scribe (see
Skousen 2001, 9-10).

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

4. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

5. On Samuel L. Mitchell (1764-1831), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 45.

6. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,

112

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE Q. CANNON, 1884

four being about twice as long in size as the three last. 7 Here was the very pa¬
per which Is[a]iah saw in vision years before, and which he called the “words
of a book [Isa. 29:11].” Though evidently long written, the characters were
as clear and distinct as though just written. This was also the case with the
manuscript of The Book of Mormon. It was wonderfully well preserved and
clear. This, David Whitmer and the family think (in which belief I share), is
due to the power of God. I cannot describe the characters particularly. They
were glyphs and contained many forms.

In speaking of the translating he said that Joseph had the stone in a hat
from which all light was excluded. In the stone the characters appeared and
under that the translation in English and they remained until the scribe had
copied it correctly. If he had made a mistake the words still remained and
were not replaced by any other.

In describing the visit of the angel he said that it was shortly before the
completion of the translation when there were but few pages left. He was
plowing when Joseph and Oliver came to him and the former told him that
he was chosen to be one of the three witnesses to whom the angel would
show the plates. He also told him that the Lord had promised to make this
manifest and now was the time.

They went out and sat upon a log conversing upon the things to be re¬
vealed when they were surrounded by a glorious light which overshadowed
them. A glorious personage appeared and he showed to them the plates, the
sword of Laban, the Directors, the Urim and Thummim and other records.
Human language could not, he said, describe heavenly things and that which
they saw. The language of the angel was: Blessed is he that believeth and
remaineth faithful to the end. He had his hours of darkness and trial and diffi¬
culty, but however dark upon other things[,] that [vision] had ever been a
bright scene in his mind and he had never wavered in regard to it; he had tes¬
tified fearlessly always of it, even when his life was threatened. Martin Harris
was not with them at the time that he and Oliver saw the angel, but he and
Joseph afterwards saw the same, and he thus became a witness also.

I spent the afternoon with them till 5 p.m. when I took the hack [old
horse] to return to Lexington Junction. ...

CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

7. Cannon subsequently mentions this: “I omitted to mention that Jo¬
seph had written in English above the characters, the word ‘caracters.’” See
V.E.2, BOOK OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-FEB 1828.

8. In late June 1829.

113

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

[2. Article, 1 April 1884]

On my return from my visit to the East I took the opportunity of calling
at Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, to see the last surviving witness of the
three to whom the angel exhibited the plates of the Book of Mormon—
David Whitmer.

From Kansas City I took the train for Lexington Junction, and there
changed cars for Richmond. Upon arriving at the station I inquired of a gen¬
tleman who was standing there if he knew Mr. Whitmer. He told me that his
son, David J. Whitmer, would be there presently, as he owned the omnibus
which carried passengers from the station to the hotels. In a short time the
omnibus drove up, and the gentleman of whom I had made the inquiry
pointed Mr. Whitmer out to me. I found him very courteous, and upon in¬
forming him who I was he appeared to have been expecting me, having
heard through some of the papers that I was intending to make such a visit.
He said his father was growing very feeble and he did not like to have him in¬
terviewed, but he would arrange for me to see him as soon as he could.

I drove to the hotel and after dinner Mr. Whitmer called upon me and
conducted me to the residence of his father. On our way there he pointed
out the track of a cyclone which had visited the town in 1878, and which had
left their house, or rather the room in which the manuscript of the Book of
Mormon was kept, in such a condition as to astonish all the people. The roof
of the house was blown off; but nothing in this room was disturbed. The glass
was not even broken. This was a cause of astonishment to the neighborhood,
and the family evidently ascribe the protection of the room and its contents
to the fact of the manuscript being there, [p. 106]

David Whitmer, who was born in January, 1805, is growing feeble, but
his mind is bright and apparently unimpaired. He is rather slender now and
probably stood in his early manhood five feet ten or perhaps five feet eleven
inches in height. I noticed in shaking hands with him that the thumb of his
right hand is missing and the hand has a long scar in the center from some in¬
jury that he had received. His hair is thin and he is rather bald. His nose is aq¬
uiline. His eyes black, or a dark brown. I noticed a slight German accent or
tone in his talk. The Whitmer family is of German origin, his mother, I be¬
lieve, having been born on the Rhine. He has evidently been a man who in
his prime must have been interesting, and, I should think, fine looking. I was
shown a likeness of his, painted in oil, when he was thirty-two years old. This
makes him appear as handsome, of marked features, rather Jewish looking,
with a head of thick hair inclined to curl.

After some little conversation he inquired of me if I would like to see
the manuscript, and gave his son a key and told him to bring it in. I found it

114

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE Q. CANNON, 1884

wonderfully well preserved, written in different hand-writings. He says they
are the writings of Oliver Cowdery, Emma Smith, Martin Harris, and, per¬
haps, some of it that of his brother Christian, who assisted the Prophet Jo¬
seph. This is the manuscript, Mr. Whitmer says, from which the printers set
the type of the Book of Mormon, and he pointed to me where it had been
cut for convenience as “copy.” I noticed some printers’ marks on the manu¬
script. Still it seemed unusually clean for “copy” that printers had handled. I
commented upon the cleanness of the manuscript, and he explained that it
was in consequence of the care taken of it by Oliver Cowdery in watching it
while in the printer’s hands. It was fastened together not as a whole, but a few
sheets—probably not more than a dozen—with woolen yarn, which he said
was his mother’s. I examined this manuscript with great interest and with a
feeling of reverence. How many associations cluster around this! What won¬
derful changes have occurred since the few who were interested in this work
labored in its preparation under the direction of the Prophet! Everything
connected with the work then was in the future. Their minds were filled
with anticipation concerning the greatness of the work the foundation of
which they were assisting to lay. But how little conception after all, probably,
these men had, with the exception of Joseph, of the wonderful character of
the work to be accomplished. Thoughts like these passed through my mind
while looking at the manuscript.

But there was a paper with this, which, if anything, was still more inter¬
esting than the manuscript. It was the characters drawn by Joseph himself
from the plates for Martin Harris to take to show the learned professors, so
wonderfully predicted in the 29th chapter of Isaiah. There were seven lines
of these characters, the first four being about twice as large in size as the last
three. In English Joseph had written over the lines the word “characters.” He
had spelled this word, “caractors.” Though these characters had evidently
been written for a long time, they were as clear and distinct as though just
penned. Here was the very paper which Isaiah saw in vision about 2,600
years before, and which he called “the words of a book.” How wonderfully
God in His own way brings to pass the fulfillment of the predictions of his
servants! To the ordinary person it might seem like a trifling thing to copy
these characters and send them “to one that is learned;” but it was of suffi¬
cient importance in the mind of the Lord for him to inspire his servant Isaiah
to exactly describe the occurrence. This shows how much importance the
Lord attached to these details connected with the foundation of this work
and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

David Whitmer told me he was plowing when Joseph and Oliver came
to him to speak about his being one of the witnesses. He already knew that
the Lord had promised to show the plates to three witnesses. Joseph then in-

115

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

formed him that he was chosen to be one of the three. They went out and sat
upon a log, conversing upon the things to be revealed, when they were sur¬
rounded by a glorious light which overshadowed them. A glorious person¬
age appeared unto them and exhibited to them the plates, the sword of
Laban, the Directors which were given to Lehi (called Liahona), the Urim
and Thummim, and other records. Human language cannot, he said, de¬
scribe what they saw. He had had his hours of darkness and trial and difficulty
since that period; but however dark upon other things his mind had been,
that vision had ever been a bright and beautiful scene in his memory, and he
had never wavered in regard to it. He had fearlessly testified of it always, even
when his life was threatened. Martin Harris was not with them at the time Jo¬
seph and Oliver and he saw the angel; but he and Joseph afterwards were to¬
gether, and the angel exhibited the plates to Martin Harris also, and he thus
became a witness.

I spent several hours there, and to me they were very interesting. The
old gentleman was able to stay in the room only a portion of the time; he had
to retire to rest; but I had the company of his son, David J. Whitmer, and his
nephew, John C. Whitmer 9 (who is a son of Jacob Whitmer, one of the eight
witnesses of the Book of Mormon), while I remained. ...

9. On John C. Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
7.

116

19 .

David Whitmer to E. L. Kelley,
3 March 1884

David Whitmer to E. L. Kelley, 3 March 1884, Whitmer Papers, RLDS
Church Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 3 March 1884, David Whitmer wrote to Edmund L. Kelley (1844-
1930), 1 2 a prominent member of the RLDS Church then debating Church of
Christ minister Clark Braden in Kirtland, Ohio. Whitmer described the
Book of Mormon manuscript in his possession and reaffirmed his and Oliver
Cowdery’s testimonies. Whitmer’s letter was written in response to the fol¬
lowing inquiry from Kelley:

CLEVELAND, OHIO, March 1, 1884.

DAVID WHITMER, ESQ., RICHMOND, MO., Dear Sir :—A
person by the name ofj. H. Gilbert, at Palmyra, N.Y., claims, I am told,
that he set the type for the Book of Mormon and that there were no capital

letters beginning sentences and proper names in the printers’ manuscript;

and if there are any in now they have been put in since.

Will you please examine the manuscript in your possession, which
you claim to be the original of the Book of Mormon, and ascertain as to
whether there are capital letters, and whether, if there are such, they are in
capital writing? Or have they been placed in since?

Does the manuscript show any marks of having passed through the
printers’ hands? You will oblige by answering at once, as I desire to get the
facts in the matter. It is also claimed that Oliver Cowdery denied his testi¬
mony.

Very Respectfully,
E. L. KELLEY.

1. On Edmund L. Kelley, see “Introduction to Edmund L. and William

H. Kelley Collection.”

2. See JOHN H. GILBERT TO CLARK BILADEN, 27 FEB 1884, n.

I. Although Gilbert’s claim is exaggerated, Royal Skousen notes that “Gilbert’s
punctuation and paragraphing marks are found throughout many pages of the
printer’s manuscript” and that “Gilbert occasionally marked capitalization and

117

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Kelley’s letter and Whitmer’s reply were included in the published ac¬
count of the Braden-Kelley Debate (Braden and Kelley 1884, 396). How¬
ever, the following transcription is from the original letter in the RLDS
Church (now Community of Christ) Library-Archives.

E. L. Kelley

—Dear Sir—

Richmond, Mo., Mar[ch] 3rd, 1884

Yours of 1st recjeivejd. In answer to your 1st question
1st The Capitals are in the first writing—

2d They are the manuscripts used by the printer Sc bear unmistakeable evi¬
dence of the printers useing them. As many of that profession have attested—
Oliver Cowdry never to my knowledge denied any part of his testimony, on
the contraryf,] as I have done[,] protested against every fabrication made by
designing persons Sc parties Sc emphatically testified as written in the Book of
Mormon until Death which occured in this place[.] his wife Sc child yet liv¬
ing furnish one of the best pictures of a living faith in what their father testi¬
fied to before death as written in the B[ook] of Mformon],

David Whitmer
per [George W.] Schweich

made spelling corrections as well as a few emendations in the printer’s manu¬
script” (Skousen 2001, 15).

118

20 .

David Whitmer Interview with
E. C. Briggs and R. Etzenhouser,
25 April 1884

E. C. Briggs to Joseph Smith III, 4 June 1884, Saints' Herald 31 (21 June
1884): 396-97.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 25 April 1884, David Whitmer was interviewed at his home by
RLDS Apostle Edmund C. Briggs (1835-1913) 1 and Rudolph Etzenhouser
(1856-1918), 2 also of the RLDS Church. In the following letter to Joseph
Smith III, dated 4 June 1884, Briggs relates the details of the interview.

No. 663 Walnut St.,
CHICAGO, Illinois,
June 4th, 1884.

Bro. Joseph Smith :—On April 25th, with Bro. R. Etzenhouser in com¬
pany, I called upon David Whitmer, which I had longed to do for years. We
were very hospitably entertained, and enjoyed the interview much. The fol¬
lowing are some of the facts as stated to us:

Oliver Cowdery’s 3 name being mentioned we asked as to his last state¬
ment. In response we were told, that it was re-affirmed, accompanied with a
solemn charge to keep the manuscript as he had.

“Would you like to see them?”

I replied that we would. He stepped into an adjoining room and in a
few moments brought them to us. They were large sheets of foolscap paper,
were rather brown, or yellow colored, not so clear and white as the paper of

1. On Edmund C. Briggs, see introduction to I.F.l, EMMA SMITH
BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH EDMUND C. BRIGGS, 1856.

2. Rudolph Etzenhouser was born in Nevada County, California. He
was baptized into the RLDS Church in 1867 by E. Henry Webb, and was or¬
dained an elder in 1883 by Joseph R. Lambert and Zenas H. Gurley. He died at
Independence, Missouri (Knisley 1948, “Etzenhouser”).

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

119

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

now a days; written closely in a fine hand, with capital letters in all proper
places, and well preserved. He then remarked:

“I was present when Joseph gave these manuscripts to Oliver, O, it was
such a solemn charge. He (Joseph) said, [‘]I feel it in my bones that there will
be a division in the church, like it was with the Nephites and Lamanites, and
if these manuscripts are not preserved, I fear that the church may be injured,
and when you deliver them up to others, be sure they are left in good hands/
I [Whitmer] now see why they should be preserved. A delegation once
waited on me from Utah, Orson Pratt headed it, 4 to secure them. And he
said:

“‘Set your own price on them. There is millions in the treasury and we
are authorized to draw any amount for them, so you may not be particular,
ask any price/

“I replied, They are not for sale. He said:

“'Why not?[’]”

“I answered, I know, and that is enough. There is not enough gold in
the world to purchase them. Pratt urged the matter saying:

“‘You are not very well off, and it will do your children good/

“I then told him, You have not got money enough in Utah to purchase
them.”

O, brethren, the above sentences were spoken by the good old man in
such accents and tone, it fairly gave life to his sterling worth, as the man more
precious than fine gold, even a man worth more than the golden wedge of
Ophir. (Isaiah 13:12). His integrity is above suspicion. God bless his memory
and his heart, ever more; amen.

This brings to my mind a statement of the Elect Lady, Emma, 5 in the
winter of 1856. She said to me, “When you see David Whitmer you will see
an honest man.” And in the same conversation, she remarked of her husband
Joseph’s limited education while he was translating the Book of Mormon,
and she was scribe at the time, “He could not pronounce the word Sariah.”
And one time while translating, where it speaks of the walls of Jerusalem, he
stopped and said, “Emma, did Jerusalem have walls surrounding it.” When I
[Emma] informed him it had, he replied, “O, I thought I was deceived.” 6

Bro. Whitmer added that since Oliver’s death it was alleged that they

4. See VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878.

5. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

6. See I.F.l, EMMA SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH ED¬
MUND C. BRIGGS, 1856.

120

INTERVIEW WITH E. C. BRIGGS, 1884

both had denied their testimony. He said that preachers and others got this up
and heralded it about.

NARRATIVE OF SEEING THE ANGEL.

“In June, 1829, [when] I [David Whitmer] saw the angel by the power
of God, Joseph, Oliver and I were alone, and a light from heaven shone
round us, and solemnity pervaded our minds. The angel appeared in the
light, as near as that young man. [Within five or six feet] . 7 Between us and the
angel there appeared a table, and there lay upon it the sword of Laban, the
Ball of Directors, the Record, and Interpreters. The angel took the Record,
and turned the leaves, and showed it to us by the power of God. They were
taken away by the angel to a cave, which we saw by the power of God while
we were yet in the Spirit. My testimony in the Book of Mormon is true; I
can’t deviate from it. I was troubled with so many by letter and otherwise, all
over the United States, and some from Europe, that I made my proclamation
of March 19th, 1881. 8 In this way thousands read it, who would never have
done so otherwise. I have the original manuscripts. They have the printer’s
marks. The printers here have examined them, and say they are genuine.
When being printed, Oliver Cowdery would take about a dozen pages of
them at a time, and remain and proof read and see that the work was done
properly, and continued his vigil to the end.”

Brother in Christ, after a visit with Bro. David Whitmer, one of the
chosen witnesses of the Book of Mormon, I want to say that I felt to admire
the man; his humble, meek manner is wonderful to behold, in comparison
with the self-called ministry of the present age. He is a devout Christian, and
speaks of Bro. Joseph, and the rise of the latter day work with endearing
words of love. As he said:

“The boys, Joseph and Oliver, worked hard, early and late, while trans¬
lating the plates. It was slow work, and they could write only a few pages a
day.”

Of Joseph he continued;

“He could not do a thing except he was humble, and just right before
the Lord.”

I said, “Why not?”

He replied:

“The Urim and Thummim would look dark; he could not see a thing
in them.” [p. 396]

7. Brackets in original.

8. See VI.A.11, DAVID WHITMER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR

1881.

121

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

“How did it appear in them?” we asked.

His answer was:

“The letters appeared on them in light, and would not go off until they
were written correctly by Oliver. When Joseph could not pronounce the
words he spelled them out letter by letter. Ah! Joseph was a good man, but he
had a hard task to manage with the people in the early days of the church.
They were sectarian (Brigham Young 9 was only a sectarian) and came in
with all of their own views, and were hard to manage. In fact, they sought of¬
fice in the church, and when they were ordained it was only putting new
wine into old bottles in many cases.”

I asked him why he did not go with the church.

He replied:

“I had good reasons, but do not wish to speak of them now. I was di¬
rected to remain here in Richmond.”

He gave me his statement entitled “Proclamation,” of March 19th,
1881, saying:

“I have but a few left.”

I remarked that more should be published. He answered:

“You may tell Joseph he may print them, and send them[,] broadcast
[them], if he will not change them; print them just as they are.”

Bro. David is a bright looking man, nearly eighty years old. Firm as a
rock in Christ, and in his testimony of seeing the angel of God, as he de¬
scended from heaven in a halo of light, and turned over the leaves of the
plates just as a man would the leaves of a book. His family, wife, son and
daughter, who were present, are of a quiet, meek spirit. All seem to dwell in
love, and are firm in Christ, and love to bear their testimony in the gospel,
and hear the aged witness talk, just as though they had never heard it before,
though it has been their theme all these days. ...

Yours in bonds of truth and love,

E. C. BRIGGS.

9. On Brigham Young (1801-77), see introduction to III.K. 19, BRIG¬
HAM YOUNG ACCOUNTS, 1855 & 1857.

122

21.

David Whitmer Interview
with Joseph Smith III and Others,
July 1884

Joseph Smith III, Notes for Memoirs, 862-63, Joseph Smith III, Papers,
Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

A committee from the RLDS church visited David Whitmer in Rich¬
mond, Missouri, in 1884 to compare the printer’s manuscript of the Book of
Mormon with printed versions. The committee consisted of Alexander H.
Smith, William H. Kelley, Thomas W. Smith, and Joseph Smith III. They
arrived on 8 July, began working the following day, and continued until 17
July. Thomas Smith and Alexander Smith kept notes and a daily record, from
which a report was compiled and published in the Saints’ Herald, 23 August
1884 (31:537-38; see also VI.A.22, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH ST. LOUIS REPUBLICAN, JUL 1884). In his memoirs, Joseph
Smith III concluded: “The result of the examination shows clearly that there
had been no fatal divergence in the text and descriptions, the supposed errors
being chiefly in verbiage, by none of which was the sense of the text
changed” (p. 862, Community of Christ Library-Archives). While the com¬
mittee was involved with the documents, a “Colonel Giles,” probably James
T. Child, of Richmond arrived, accompanied by a Captain Fall, and ques¬
tioned Whitmer about his testimony. Although Smith failed to mention the
day the interview occurred, his journal indicates that he met “Col Giles” on
9 July (Joseph Smith III, Diary, Community of Christ Library-Archives).
The following is the RLDS president’s account of Whitmer’s comments on
that occasion.

The portion of the memoirs with the interview was dictated by Joseph
Smith III to his son, Israel A., on 13 October 1913. Following the former’s
death in 1914, his memoirs were published serially in the Saints’ Herald
(1934-1937). The portion under discussion appeared, with only slight varia¬
tion, in 1936 (83 [28 January 1936]: 114; cf. Cook 1991, 134-35; Joseph
Smith III, Joseph Smith III and the Restoration , eds. Mary Audentia Smith An¬
derson and Audentia Anderson Hulmes [Independence, Missouri: Herald
House, 1953], 311-12).

123

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

... The Colonel [Giles] 1 in an affable and friendly manner discussed
with Elder [David] Whitmer the evidence which he had borne, and sugges¬
tively asked the question if it had not been possible that Elder Whitmer had
been mistaken and had been moved by some kind of mental disturbance or
hallucination in which he was deceived when he stated he had seen the per¬
sonage and the angel to which he referred, the plates, the Urim and
Thummim, and Sword of Laban. I remember very distinctly the manner in
which Elder Whitmer rising to his full height, a little over six feet, said sol¬
emnly and impressively, “No sir, I was not under any hallucination nor was I
deceived. I saw with these eyes, I heard with these ears, I know whereof I
speak.” The persons present[,] including the Colonel and friendf,] stood un¬
der the impressive silence as in the presence of an angel himself. I went out of
the room with Colonel Jiles [Giles] and Captain Fall and the Colonel said to
me, “It is somewhat difficult, Elder Smith, for us every day men to believe
the statement made by Mr. Whitmer, but one thing is certain, that no man
could [p. 862] hear him make his affirmation as he did to us in there and
doubt the honesty and sincerity of the man himself. He fully believes he saw
and heard as he stated he did.” We were wonderfully blessed at being permit¬
ted to hear this testimony of Elder Whitmer. ...

1. This was very likely Col. James T. Child(s) (see VI.A.7. DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F.
SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 4).

124

22.

David Whitmer Interview
with St. Louis Republican ,
July 1884

“Revelation Revisers,” St. Louis Republican 77 (16July 1884): 7; reprinted in
the Saints' Herald 31 (9 August 1884): 516-17.

EDITORIAL NOTE

From 8 to 17 July 1884, an RLDS church committee consisting ofjo-
seph Smith III, Alexander H. Smith, William H. Kelley, and Thomas W.
Smith, visited David Whitmer in Richmond, Missouri. The Committee’s
purpose was to compare the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon in
Whitmer’s possession with various published editions (see VI.A.21, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SMITH III AND OTHERS,
JUL 1884). While this committee was at work in a room in Whitmer’s
house, a reporter from the St. Louis Republican visited to interview Whitmer.
Later that month the Republican printed an article that featured the RLDS
committee’s work but also contained a brief account of Whitmer’s testi¬
mony.

Interest has been revived in questions relating to the origin of the
Church of the Latter Day Saints and the authenticity of the manuscript from
which the Book of Mormon was printed, and which is now being compared
with the various editions of that book by a commission now sitting at Rich¬
mond, Mo. Dispatches to the REPUBLICAN a week or two since gave an
account of the proceedings of the commission, but other dispatches, stating
that the commission was composed of a delegation from Utah, and repre¬
senting that the work of comparison is being done from parchment and from
the original plates, with other glaring mistakes, is almost too absurd for refu¬
tation. It has been known for many years that the original manuscript, as dic¬
tated by Joseph Smith, and from which the first, or Palmyra (N.Y.) edition of
1830 was printed, has been in possession of David Whitmer of Richmond,
who was one of the original, and only surviving witness of the revelator’s
work. It is known to many that the church authorities of Salt Lake have made
overtures to Mr. Whitmer to get possession of the manuscript, but without
avail, he holding the document as a sacred deposit.

125

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

A VISIT TO RICHMOND.

To carry out a purpose contemplated for some time, a REPUBLICAN
representative took the train at St. Louis, and arriving in Richmond next
morning, he was driven through a portion of that beautiful town, now fully
recovered from the devastation caused by the cyclone of 1878, and set down
at the Wasson house [inn]. Nearly the first man struck happened to be Mr.
David J. Whitmer, 1 the son of David Whitmer, to whom the purpose of the
visit was made known. Mr. Whitmer stated that owing to the advanced age
and feeble condition of his father’s health, the family had objected to visitors
out of a feeling of curiosity calling on the old gentleman and interrogating
him on these matters. He objected to these visits, and though his memory
was unimpaired relating to bygone events, it was rather unpleasant and did
no good. The commissioners were in session at his house, and it was for them
to say whether they desired to be interviewed, but as for seeing the old man it
would be better to get Mr. Farris, Gen. Doniphan 2 or Col. Childs, 3 old
friends of his, to be introduced. The Hon. John T. Farris, 4 the well-known
and able representative from Ray county in the legislature, was readily found
at his law office, and with him a call was made at the residence of Mr.
Whitmer. He occupies a tasty looking frame dwelling, which was nearly de¬
stroyed by the great cyclone and has since been rebuilt. The old gentleman
was at work in his garden when the cyclone swept over the town, and was
wounded on the head by a flying missile. He is well fixed, with pleasant sur¬
roundings, having been engaged in the livery business, from which he has re¬
tired with a competency. The walls of the lower parlor are ornamented with
a few pictures, among which is a portrait taken of Mr. David Whitmer when
he was thirty-five years of age, betokening a more robust health, florid face,
and determined energy. The portrait of his wife hangs by the side, a pleasant
beauty, who is still alive and going down the hill-side of life the cheerful
companion of her husband.

1. On David J. Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
5.

2. Alexander William Doniphan (1808-87) was born in Mason County,
Kentucky. A prominent Missouri lawyer, he is best known to Mormons for his
defense of the Saints beginning in 1833 and for refusing to carry out an execution
order against church leaders. He was elected to the state legislature three times
(1836, 1840, and 1854). He died at Richmond, Missouri (Jessee 1992, 541).

3. Jacob T. Child (see VI.A.7. DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH ORSON PFLATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 4).

4. This person remains unidentified.

126

INTERVIEW WITH ST. LOUIS REPUBLICAN , 1884

Word was brought down that Mr. Whitmer was engaged with the
commission, and the invitation was extended to call on him there, as he felt
too feeble to walk down stairs. Mr. Whitmer was found in the chamber
above, lying on his bed in a room adjoining the commission, and communi¬
cating with it by an open door.

THE WITNESS OF THE REVELATION.

The old gentleman rose from the bed and received his callers very cor¬
dially. In person he is above medium height, very lean and feeble, and, with
stooping shoulders, bears the marks of advancing age, being now in his eight¬
ieth year. The lips are drawn in, from the absence of the teeth, and he con¬
verses in a tremulous voice. So great is the change that he would hardly be
identified from his picture taken in early manhood, during the glowing vigor
of health. He said he was ready to respond to inquiries of his past history, but
intimated that it had all been published, and, as for that portion connected
with his sojourn in Missouri, there was so much of it that he did not wish to
go over it again. He preferred that such information as was desired should be
obtained from the gentlemen composing the commission, and thereupon
the callers, accompanied by Mr. Whitmer, entered their room.

THE REVISERS.

At one end was a table around which the ministerial conclave was
seated, each holding a book, except one of the members, who was reading
from a manuscript. It was a convocation of men whose labors would doubt¬
less he handed down in the church as a memorable event, that of verifying
the various editions of the Book of Mormon from the original manuscript, in
the presence of the only surviving witness of this great revelation to man. As
Mr. Farris and the REPUBLICAN representative entered the room these
holy men suspended their work, and rising to their feet, the former were in¬
troduced to President Smith 0 and by him were introduced to the other mem¬
bers of the board. The reception was extremely cordial, and while Father
Whitmer, in his feeble state, extended himself on a bed near the table, the
commissioners participated in a running conversation for half an hour. The
following are the members of the commission: Rev. Joseph Smith of
Lamoni, Decatur county, Iowa, president of the Reorganized Church ofje-
sus Christ, commonly called Latter Day Saints, and editor-in-chief of the
Saints’ Herald. He is the eldest son ofjoseph Smith the prophet and inspired
translator of the Book of Mormon from the golden plates.

5. On Joseph Smith III (1832-1914), see introduction to I.F.3, EMMA
SMITH INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SMITH III, FEB 1879.

127

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

William H. Kelley 6 of Kirtland, Ohio, missionary in charge of Michi¬
gan, Northern Ohio, Western New York and Western Ohio mission.

Alexander H. Smith 7 of Independence, Mo., missionary in charge of
Pacific Slope mission, comprised of California, Oregon and Nevada. He is
the second son of the prophet, Joseph Smith.

Thomas W. Smith 8 of Independence, Mo., missionary in charge of
Australian mission, including Australia and Society islands and other Polyne¬
sian isles.

The three last named are a committee appointed by the general confer¬
ence of the reorganized church, held at Stewartsville, Missouri, April 6 to 15,
1884, to compare the Palmyra and the current editions of the Book of Mor¬
mon with the original manuscript now in the hands of David Whitmer of
Richmond, Ray county, Mo. The object of the examination is to discover
whether there are differences as alleged by some between the printed edition
and the manuscript. They have been engaged in the work for five days up to
Monday night, and expect to spend some three days more, closing Wednes¬
day night.

HOW THEY DO IT.

The Manuscript of the Book of Mormon.—The manuscript held by
‘‘Father Whitmer,” as he is designated by the commission, is handed out in
sections, the leaves being firmly held together. It is the original from which
the Palmyra or first edition was printed in 1830, and bears very plainly the
printer’s marks. The manuscript, which was examined by the reporter, is
common, rather coarse foolscap in use fifty years ago, and the penmanship is
in a medium hand, plain and perfectly legible. It appears that some five differ¬
ent persons were engaged in writing the document as Joseph Smith dictated
the subject matter. Father Whitmer, who was present very frequently during
the writing of this manuscript affirms that Joseph Smith had no book or
manuscript, before him from which he could have read as is asserted by some
that he did, he (Whitmer) having every opportunity to know whether Smith
had Solomon Spaulding’s or any other persons’ romance to read from. The
commission have before them various editions of the Book of Mormon, first
and most important the original Palmyra edition of 1830. Then there are the

6. On William H. Kelley (1841-1915), see “Introduction to William H.
and Edmund L. Kelley Collection.”

7. Alexander Hale Smith (1838-1909) was the son ofjoseph and Emma

Smith.

8. On Thomas W. Smith (1838-94), see introduction to VI.A.4, DA¬
VID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS W. SMITH, JAN 1876.

128

INTERVIEW WITH ST. LOUIS REPUBLICAN, 1884

Kirtland edition of 1835 [1837], the Nauvoo edition of 1843 [1840 and
1842], the Plano (Ill.) edition, and various editions published by the polyga¬
mists of Salt Lake City. There are also five European editions published in
England, Denmark and Sweden, Germany and France. One of the commis¬
sion said it must be stated in behalf of the Salt Lake edition that they have
made no changes from the original manuscript, except what may be said of
other editions, and these consist merely of changes in verbs and tenses.
Whenever an alteration is detected which consists, for instance, of the substi¬
tution of the relatives, who, which and that, and the tenses of the verbs, the
person holding the edition in which such change is detected erases the word
and substitutes the original word as it exists in the manuscript, interlining the
correct word in the printed book with a pencil. The intention is probably to
print an edition, thus corrected from the manuscript, which will be recog¬
nized as genuine at least by the reorganized branch of the saints.

HE WILL NOT GIVE IT UP.

It is well known that some years ago Anson [Orson] Pratt and Joseph F.
Smith, the son ofHyrum Smith of the Salt Lake branch, came to Richmond,
and calling on Father Whitmer offered him any sum he would name (the
amount being stated at $100,000) if he would surrender to them the original
manuscript. 9 They said they wanted the manuscript solely for the purpose of
placing it in the archives of the church at Utah for preservation. Mr.
Whitmer informed them that he would not part with it for any amount of
money. He was its custodian, and it should be preserved as a sacred deposit by
himself and heirs.

The latest edition of the Book of Mormon has been verified [versi¬
fied?] the same as was done with the Bible, for convenience to the reader.
The manuscript was written from the dictation of Joseph Smith by the fol¬
lowing amanuenses: Oliver Cowdery, 10 Emma Smith, 11 wife of Joseph
Smith; Christian Whitmer 12 and Martin Harris, 13 and it is supposed that Alva

9. See VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878.

10. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

11. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

12. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

13. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

129

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Hale 14 was also employed as one of the scribes, but Hale only wrote a small
portion.

HOW WHITMER GOT IT.

Oliver Cowdery, the principal witness and scribe ofjoseph Smith, be¬
came the possessor [of the manuscripts], which he retained and brought with
him to Missouri. Oliver Cowdery was the brother-in-law of Jacob Whit-
mer, 15 and he died at Richmond in 1850, in the house adjoining Whitmer’s,
and the latter naturally came in possession of the document. Oliver Cowdery
is buried in the old cemetery, near Richmond, and his wife and daughter are
still living in this state.

For the brief time that the commissioners were disengaged there was a
good time for interviewing, but there were too many of them at once, and,
like the fowler distracted by the flocks of pigeons on the trees, in the wheat
stubble, with others flying overhead, shots were rather scattering. ...

WHITMER’S TESTIMONY.

While president Smith was wrestling with the charges of fraud and de¬
lusion urged against his father, the REPUBLICAN representative turned to
Mr. Whitmer, who was lying on the bed and listening with much apparent
interest to the colloquy, occasionally interposing a word in confirmation of
Mr. Smith’s statements and made some interrogatories.

“Yes,” said Mr. Whitmer, “I have no objection to giving the particulars
of my early life. I was born near Harrisburg, Penn., at a small trading post, in
1805. My father moved to York state when I was four years old. We settled
in Fayette township, Seneca county, between Seneca and Cayuga lakes, four
miles from Seneca Falls, two miles from Waterloo, seven miles from Seneca.
I lived there till I was 26 years old. The first time I saw Joseph Smith was in
Harmony, Penn. I joined him before the Book of Mormon was printed at
Palmyra, N.Y. I was there during the time the book was printed. The transla¬
tion was done in my father’s house; at least two months of the time, 16 was
thus taken up with it there. Oliver Cowdery was the principal amanuensis.
Cowdery died in 1880 [1850], near my house, in Richmond. I saw the stone

14. On Alva Hale (1795-1882), see introduction to V.A.2, ALVA HALE
STATEMENT, 1834.

15. On Jacob Whitmer (1800-56), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 98.

16. Other sources indicate that Whitmer believed the work of translation
occupied only one month, June 1829, at his father’s Fayette residence (VI.A.12,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1
JUN 1881; VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 30).

130

INTERVIEW WITH ST. LOUIS REPUBLICAN , 1884

which formed the box or receptacle in which the metallic plates were found,
on the hillside, Commarah [Cumorah]. 17 Joseph Smith claimed that an angel
informed him of the place where the plates were hidden. I saw the plates;
they were bound together with leaves, and held together by rings, two at
each corner of the bundle and one in the centre.

“Joseph Smith dictated every word in the book. The understanding we
have about it was that when the book was discovered an angel was present
and pointed the place out. In translating from the plates, Joseph Smith looked
through the Urim and Thummim, consisting of two transparent pebbles set
in the rim of a bow, fastened to a breastplate. He dictated by looking through
them to his scribes.” At this stage of the explanation, Mr. Whitmer showed
those present a specimen of the characters copied from the plates. 18 It is on a
piece of strong paper about four by eight inches, and covered with one hun¬
dred or more hieroglyphics and figures.

THE HIEROGLYPHICS.

It is the identical specimen which was sent to Prof. [Charles] Anthon, 19
of New York, and shown by him to Prof. [Samuel L.] Mitchell, 20 of which
the New York papers made mention at the time. 21 The specimen was sent to
Prof. Anthon by Martin Harris and returned to him. Profs. Anthon and
Micthell [Mitchell] both admitted they were ancient characters, resembling
the reformed Egyptian and Hebrew characters. 22 Mr. Whitmer holds these
characters, as well as the manuscript of the Book of Mormon and the records
of the church, in great reverence, and would not part with them for any
money or allow them to go out of his house. He says he is utterly opposed to

17. Note that Whitmer only states that he saw the “stone” of the recepta¬
cle, not the receptacle itself (see also VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, AUG 1875).

18. See V.E.2, BOOK OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-
FEB 1828.

19. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

20. On Samuel L. Mitchell (1764-1831), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 45.

21. See III.F.2, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH ROCHES¬
TER GEM, CIRCA JUN 1829.

22. The claim that Anthon and Mitchell confirmed the ancient status of
the Book of Mormon characters is asserted in the official version of the story (see
I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 9). This was corrected by Anthon
(see V.D.2 CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834; V.D.3,
CHARLES ANTHON TO THOMAS WINTHROP COIT, 3 APR 1841).

131

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

polygamy and remarked that when he was connected with the church in
York state, “we wouldn’t,” he said, “have fellowship even with any person
who was divorced, and Joseph Smith was opposed to it.” ... 23

Mr. Whitmer on being asked if he saw the angel, as stated in some ac¬
counts, opened the book and pointing to a section said, “There is my testi¬
mony. Read it; that tells all that is necessary for me to say about it. That con¬
tains the solemn testimony of myself and the other persons named.” Mr.
Whitmer’s response was regarded as closing out any further interrogatory
under that head, and an estoppel was put on such inquiries. ... 24

FIRM BELIEVERS.

This subject may be closed with the observation that, whatever the
gentiles may believe in regard to the Mormons, the sons ofjoseph Smith and
David Whitmer and his sons believe in it with a firm conviction and un¬
doubted faith. The honesty and excellent character of the Whitmer family
are substantiated by the people of Richmond without exception. That David
Whitmer, who holds many of the revelations of the early founders of that
church with no higher esteem than outsiders, and the fact that he had a fall-
ing-out with Joe Smith and in a measure separated himself from the saints
who went to Nauvoo, and still holds to the genuineness of the Book of Mor¬
mon with an unalterable faith in its truth is certainly a remarkable fact.
Whitmer holds the Book of Mormon in the same estimation that he holds
the Bible, believing that the one is a supplement of the other, and that who¬
ever disbelieves in either does it at the hazard of his eternal salvation. That the
supposition that the Rev. Solomon Spaulding wrote the Book of Mormon is
absurd and “a weak invention of the enemy.” A man who would put forth a
book, however meritorious in other respects, as a novel without plot, char¬
acter or any of the essentials of a work of fiction, is censurable for his stupid¬
ity.

23. Remarks about polygamy deleted (see Cook 1991, 144).

24. The Testimony of Three Witness and other extraneous items are de¬
leted here (see Cook 1991, 145-51).

132

23 .

David Whitmer Interview with
Unknown Reporter,

Circa July 1884

“The True Book of Mormon,” ca. July 1884, unidentified and undated
newspaper clipping, William H. Samson, Scrapbook, 18:76-77, Rochester
Public Library, Local History Room, Rochester, New York.

EDITORIAL NOTE

This clipping is undated but begins with “Richmond, Mo., July 18.”
The year 1884 is indicated by the presence of the RLDS committee examin¬
ing the Book of Mormon manuscript at David Whitmer’s residence (see
VI.A.21, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SMITH III
AND OTHERS, JUL 1884). The interview is similar to VI.A.14, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, 14 OCT 1881,
and not very accurate.

... Mr. Whitmer’s faith in what he claims to have seen is remarkable. He
recited his experience at the time of the revelation to his visitors as follows:
“In 1828, when I lived in Ontario county, N.Y., there was great excitement
over the discovery by Joseph Smith, a farmer in our neighborhood, of a great
treasure. Nothing was known of it in a definite way by my family until the
next year, in June, when Smith visited my father’s house. While there he was
busily engaged in the translation of the book, which I learned he had found
in the form of gold plates, on the hill Cumorah, about two miles from Pal¬
myra. I saw the plates frequently in Smith’s hands, 1 but, as the characters in¬
scribed thereon were something like Egyptian hieroglyphics, I could make
nothing out of them. Smith, however, had no difficulty in deciphering them,
and as he dictated Oliver Cowdrey 2 wrote. I asked Smith once how he came
to find the plates, and he told me that the place on the hill was pointed out to

1. Readers will note the reporter’s implication that Whitmer saw the
plates uncovered in a non-visionary setting. This is contradicted by Whitmer’s
other statements assembled in this volume.

2. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

133

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

him by an angel in dazzling apparel. They were in a stone casket, and pur¬
ported to be the history of the Nephites, a nation that had passed away. The
plates, as I saw them, were fastened with three rings. About half of them were
loose and movable, but the others were solid, as if sealed. Smith said in expla¬
nation of this that the angel had told him very impressively that the loose
plates alone were to be used, and that the sealed portion was not to be tam¬
pered with.

I became interested in the matter, as Smith was a man of good repute.
After the plates had been translated, six months having been passed in the
work, the same heavenly visitant appeared to Smith and reclaimed the tab¬
lets, informing Smith that he would replace them with other records of the
lost tribes that had been brought with them from Asia, and that they would
all be forthcoming when the world was ready to receive them. I saw this ap¬
parition myself and gazed with awe on the celestial messenger and heard him
say: ‘Blessed is the Lord and he that keeps his commandments.’ Then, as he
held the plates and turned them over with his hands so that we could see
them plainly, a voice that seemed to fill all space was heard, saying: ‘What
you see is true. Testify to the same.’ Oliver Cowdrey and I, standing there,
felt, as the white garments of the angel faded from view, that we had received
a message from God, and we have so recorded it. Two or three days later the
same angel appeared to Martin Harris 3 while he was in company with Smith,
and placed the same injunction upon him. He described the sight and his sen¬
sations to me, and they corresponded exactly with what I had seen and heard.
In his translation of the tablets Smith used a small oval or kidney-shaped
stone, which seemed endowed with the marvelous power of converting the
characters on the plates, when used by Smith, into English. He would then
dictate and Cowdrey would write. Frequently one character would make
two lines of manuscript, while others made but a word or two. I can assert
emphatically, as did Cowdrey, that while Smith was dictating he had no
manuscript, notes, or other means of knowledge, save the seer stone and the
characters as shown on the plates. ...

3. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), whose vision occurred the same day as
Whitmer’s, see “Introduction to Martin Harris Collection.”

134

24 .

David Whitmer Interview
with Zenas H. Gurley,

14 January 1885

“Copy—Questions asked of David Whitmer at his home in Richmondf,]
Ray County[,l Mo—Jan 14—1885. relating to Book of Mormon, and the
history of the Church ofjesus Christ of L.D.S. by Elder Z[enas] H. Gurley,”
Zenas Gurley Collection, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Zenas H. Gurley, Jr. (1842-1912), was born in Hancock County, Illi¬
nois. He was baptized into the RLDS Church on 13 May 1861. In 1870 he
located in Decatur County, Iowa, where he married Gracie Robinson in
1872. As a traveling minister of the RLDS Church, his preaching tours in¬
cluded Utah in 1874 and 1878. He was ordained an apostle in 1874 but soon
fell out of favor with church leaders for his reformist activities and finally
withdrew from fellowship in 1886 ( Biographical and Historical Record of
Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa, 1887, 539-44; Vlahos 1971).

According to archivists, the original document was donated to the LDS
Church in 1967 by Alvin L. Morris of Tacoma, Washington. Portions of the
interview were published in Zenas H. Gurley, “The Book of Mormon,” Au¬
tumn Leaves (Lamoni, Iowa) 5 (1892): 453.

1 [Q]—Do you know that the plates seen with the Angel (on the table) were
real metal, did you touch them?

Ans We did not touch nor handle the plates.

2 Q—Was the table literal wood? or was the whole a vision such as often oc¬
curs in dreams &c?

Ans—The table had the appearence of literal wood as shown in the vision, in
the glory of God.

3 Q—Did you see the Urim and Thummim, what was it?

Ans—I saw the “Interpreters” in the holy [vision] J.] They looked like whit-

1. Document damaged; word in brackets supplied from Autumn Leaves 5
(1892): 453.

135

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

ish stones p[ut in the] 2 rim of a bow, looked like spectacles only much larger.

... [p. 1] ... 3

9. Q. Who was the Angel that showed the plates to you and Cowdery, 4 and
have these plates been seen since?

Ans—I do not know as no name was given. I have never seen the plates since.
... [p. 1, back] ... 5

13. Q.—Were you present when Joseph Smith received the revelation com¬
manding him and Oliver Cowdery to ordain each other to the Melchisedek
Priesthood, if so, where was it and how?

Ans—No I was not—neither did I ever hear of such a thing as an angel or¬
daining them until I got into Ohio about the year 1834—or later. 6

14. Q. Can you tell why that Joseph and Oliver were ordained to the lesser
Priesthood by the hand of an Angel but in receiving the Higher they or¬
dained each other? 7

Ans—I moved Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to my fathers house in

2. Ibid.

3. Material dealing with the three witnesses leaving the church deleted
(see Cook 1991, 152-53).

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

5. Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism deleted (see Cook 1991,

154).

6. The revelation of the “Melchizedek Priesthood,” which occurred at
the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr., sometime in June 1829, was never considered
to be the same as the visitation of Peter, James, and John. (Concerning the for¬
mer event, see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 26-27; I.A.21, JO¬
SEPH SMITH TO THE CHURCH, 6 SEP 1842, 936). Whitmer probably
heard about the angelic priesthood ordinations in 1834 when Cowdery and
Smith began discussing them publicly (I.A.8, JOSEPH SMITH RECITAL TO
KIRTLAND [OH] HIGH COUNCIL, 12 FEB & 21 APR 1834; III.G.6, OL¬
IVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834, 13-16; see also Vogel
1988, 117-20).

7. Regarding the June 1829 revelation of the “Melchizedek Priest¬
hood,” Joseph Smith’s history states: “[W]e had not long been engaged in sol¬
emn and fervent prayer, when the word of the Lord, came unto us in the Cham¬
ber, commanding us; that I should ordain Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder in the
Church of Jesus Christ, And that he also should ordain me to the same office”
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 26-27).

136

INTERVIEW WITH ZENAS H. GURLEY, 1885

Fayettef,] Seneca Countyf,] New York, from Harmony, Penn, in the year
1829, on our way I conversed freely with them [p. 2] upon this great work
they were bringing about, and Oliver stated to me in Josephs presence that
they had baptized each other seeking by that to fulfill the command—And
after our arrival at fathers sometime in June 1829. Joseph ordained Oliver
Cowdery to be an Elder, and Oliver ordained Joseph to be an Elder in the
Church of Christ. <and during that year Joseph both baptized and ordained
me an elder in the church of Christ. > 8 Also, during this year the translation of
the Book of Mormon was finished, And we preached pr e ach e d , baptized and
ordained some as Elders, And upon the Sixth day of April 1830, six Elders to¬
gether with some fifty or sixty (as near as I recollect) of the members met to¬
gether to effect an organization. 9

I never heard that an Angel had ordained Joseph and Oliver to the
Aaronic priesthood until the year 1834[,] [183]5. or [183]6—in Ohio, my in¬
formation from Joseph and Oliver upon this matter being as I have stated, and
that they were commanded so to do by revealment through Joseph. 19 1 do not
believe that John the Baptist ever ordained Joseph and Oliver as stated and be¬
lieved by some. I regard that as an error, a misconception, [p. 2, back] ..."

19. [Q] Were the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated in
Joseph Smiths possession while translating and seen and handled by several
different persons, if not, where were they?

Ans—I do not know.

20. Q. Didjoseph use his “peep stone” to finish up the translation? if so why?

8. David Whitmer was baptized and “possibly ordained [an] apostle [el¬
der] [cf. D&C 18]” in June 1829 (Cook 1981, 24).

9. Whitmer is incorrect as to the number of elders and members as of 6
April 1830. He probably has reference to the first conference held in Fayette,
New York, on 9 June 1830 (see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n.
82; and introduction to IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11
AUG 1862).

10. Lucy Smith’s understanding of Joseph’s and Oliver’s baptisms was
similar: “one morning however they sat down to their usual work when the first
thing that presented itself to Joseph was a commandment from God that he and
Oliver should repair to the water & each of them be baptized they immediately
went down to the susquehana<h> river and obeyed the comm[andm e nt] man¬
date given them through the urim and thumim” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:94. See also VI.F.10, WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JO¬
SEPH SMITH III, JUL & SEP 1872; and Vogel 1988, 104-6).

11. Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism deleted (see Cook 1991,
155-56).

137

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Ans—He used a stone called a “Seers stone,” the “Interpreters” having been
taken away from him because of transgression. 12

21. Q. Had you seen the plates at anytime before the Angel showed them to
you?

Ans—No. [p. 3, back] ... 13

25. Q. Were you present during any of the time of translation, if so, state how
it was done.

Ans—The “Interpreters” were taken from Joseph after he allowed
Martin Harris 14 to carry away the 116 pages of Ms [manuscript]—of the
Book of Mormon as a punishment, but he was allowed to go on and translate
by the use of a “Seers stone” which he had, and which he placed in a hat into
which he buried his face, stating to me and others that the original Charac¬
ter^] appeared upon parchment and under it the translation in english, which
[enabled him] 15 to read it readily. While Brother Whitmer was too feeble to
write much, being unable to write the answers to the foregoing 25 questions
in person—Yet it was with his consent and in his presence that I wrote them
and corrected them, as they appear here.

Jan. 21—1885.[s] Z H. Gurley

12. See VI.A.8, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO SAINTS’ HERALD, 13 OCT

1879.

13 Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism deleted (see Cook 1991,

157).

14. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

15. Document damaged; words in brackets supplied from Autumn Leaves 5
(1892): 453.

138

25 .

David Whitmer Interview with
James Henry Moyle,

28 JUNE 1885

1. James Henry Moyle, Diary, 28 June 1885, LDS Church Archives,
Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. James Henry Moyle, “Address by Elder James H. Moyle before the
Ensign Stake Conference, in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, Sunday,
March 22, 1908,” Gordon B. Hinckley, James Henry Moyle: The
Story of a Distinguished American and an Honored Churchman (Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1951), 366-67.

3. James Henry Moyle, Reminiscence, 24 November 1928, Joseph E.
Cardon and Samuel O. Bennion, eds., Testimonies of the Divinity of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Its Leaders (Independ¬
ence, Missouri: Press of Zion’s Printing and Publishing Co., 1930),
303, 305.

4. James Henry Moyle, Statement, Conference Reports, April 1930,
121 - 22 .

5. James Henry Moyle, “David Whitmer’s Testimony,” Liahona 36
(13 September 1938): 150-51; reprinted in the Deseret News (Church
Section), 2 August 1941.

6. James Henry Moyle, “Address Given by James H. Moyle at the
Regular Sacrament Meeting, Fourth Ward, Pioneer Stake, 18
March 1945,” Gene A. Sessions, ed., Mormon Democrat: The Reli¬
gious and Political Memoirs of James Henry Moyle (Salt Lake City: His¬
torical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 1975), 444-47. The section ofMoyle’s 1945 address dealing
with his interview with David Whitmer was published almost ver¬
batim in the Instructor 80 (September 1945): 400-404.

EDITORIAL NOTE

James Henry Moyle (1858-1946) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Af¬
ter graduating from the University of Michigan’s law school in June 1885, he
served as the U.S. Commissioner of Customs. In 1928 he was appointed
president of the Eastern States Mission. He died in Salt Lake City (P. Nibley
1953, 92).

Moyle interviewed David Whitmer at his residence in Richmond,

139

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Missouri, on 28 June 1885. He mentioned in 1945 that the idea occurred to
him after reading “in one of the local papers that David Whitmer was alive
and that he had given a very interesting interview to a newspaper man” ( In¬
structor, September 1945, 400). On 10 May 1885, as he was preparing to re¬
turn to Utah from Michigan where he had attended law school, he received a
letter from his father: “David Whitmer, being the only one living of the three
witnesses of the Book of Mormon, it is my wish that you make it a point to
call and see him for it will be of advantage to you in a time to come” (James
Moyle to James H. Moyle, 10 May 1885, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah; see also Sessions 1975, 150). Moyle said that he conducted the
interview in lawyer-like style but, despite his training, regretted that he had
“somehow failed to take an affidavit from Brother Whitmer” (Sessions 1975,
152). Immediately following the interview, he made a brief entry in his diary.
Later, soon after his arrival in Salt Lake City, he wrote a longer version in the
“Expense Account” section of his diary (Sessions 1975, 459). In addition to
these two contemporary diary entries, his reminiscences are included below.

[1. Diary, 28June 1885]

Called on David Whitmer Sen. was introduced by Wm Marshall. 1

Mr Whitmer conversed and showed to me the papers [of the Book of
Mormon manuscript] for 21/2 hours, was very kind but had trouble in keeping
him on the points in issue, He was some what spiritual in his explanations[.]
He was not as materialistic in his descriptions as I wished. ...

[ “Expense Account” section] 2

Interview with David Whitmer Sen.[,] June 28, 1885[,] Richmond[,] Ray
Co.[,] Mo.

Spent 2 1/2 hours in Conversation.

Said true church name was [blank space] “The Church of Christf.]”
Change from this name was made in Kirtlandf,] Ohio[,] in 1835 or about that
time. 3 The name was recorded in County seat as above.

1. William Marshall, age forty, is listed in the 1870 census of Richmond,
Ray County, Missouri, as a shoemaker from Scotland (1870:578).

2. The expense account portion of the diary lacks pagination, so I have
indicated page breaks beginning with “p. 1.”

3. Whitmer complains about the 1834 change to “The Church of the
Latter-day Saints” (J. Smith 1948, 2:63). On 26 April 1838, the church received
its present name, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (D&C
115:4).

140

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES HENRY MOYLE, 1885

Both Mr Whitmer and son claim to belong to the Church of Christ but
not one encorporated, or that pays tithing[.] Yet David Whitmer Sen.
admitts that there was some thing [p. 1] like tithing in the church in Joseph
Smiths day but that it was introduced by [Sidney] Rigdon. 4 That Rigdon was
the means of making many inovations

Mr David Whitmer Senior is now 80 years old. He is some what feeble
but claims that he will preserve the pla t e s <manuscript> and should he til
God will raise up another which indications would point to his only son, 5 the
Livery man, who seems to thoroughly imbibe the ideas of his father, and
would seem to be after his fathers own heart. They both de disbilieve in in
the [p. 2] church of Utah or the Josephites.

Mr Whitmer says there is no high priesthood on the earth that Christ is
the only high Priest that there is but one Priesthood and in it are only Elders,
Priestsf,] teachers and deacons.

Mr D[avid]. Whitmer Sen did not handel the plates. Only seen <saw>
them, says Martin Haris 6 and Cowdry 7 8 did so they say!

Says he did see them and the angel and heard him speak. But that it was
indiscribable that it was through the [p. 3] power of God (and was possibly
[in the spirit] at least) he then spoke of Paul hearing and seeing Christ but his
associates did not [Acts 9:7; 22:9]. Because it is only seen in the Spirit.

I was not fully satisfied with the explanation. It was more spiritual
than I anticipated.

D[avid]. Whitmer Severed himsh him self from the Church in 1838
Because Joseph and the body of the people had departed from the first princi¬
pals and had gone into Bank=ing and land specul=ulations See. [p. 4] and was
making new inovations. ... [p. 5] ...

The Manuscript consists of 464 pages of of closely written fools cap.
that will average about 37 lines to page and 18 wordes to a line

The witnesses did Dav not sign the original manuscript though [they]
were present and ordered Oliver Cowdry to sign for them[.]

4. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

5. On David Whitmer, Jr., see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
5.

6. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

7. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

8. Moyle himself noted in his diary, “The statement that the three wit¬
nesses did not sign the manuscript but that Oliver Cowdery signed for them and

141

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

The priservation of the Manuscript [p. 6] is remarkable especially
concidering that it came through so many hard and unprotected Journeysf.]
In the first edition there are 588 pages.

David Whitmer Sen. is 5 f[ee]t 10, in height, is of fair complectionf,]
long face, and rather of an intellectual cast. He lives in a some what small 2
story house.

His doctrine is a holding fast to first principals he firmly maintains the
truth of his statement in the Book of Mormon, [p. 7]

[2. Address, 22 March 1908]

... From my boyhood I had read the Book of Mormon, and during my
study of the same, found it nothing but that which is virtuous, pure and en¬
nobling—a great and wonderful history of a pre-historic people who lived
on this continent in former ages. I was always interested in utilizing such op¬
portunities as were given me to demonstrate its divinity, to know whether or
not I might be deceived, and whether my parents, grandparents and friends
were likewise deceived. Therefore, on my way home from school in 1885,1
took advantage of the opportunity to visit David Whitmer, another of the
Three Witnesses, then an old, gray-haired man, bowed in years and expect¬
ing almost any time the summons to call him thence to his eternal reward. As
I left the train in the little village of Richmond, Missouri, I inquired of those
whom I met: What kind of a man is David Whitmer? From all I received the
same response, that he was a good citizen, an honest man, and that he was
highly respected in the community. I went to his humble home, for it was a
humble home, and I told him of my origin, my belief, and as a young man
starting out in life I wanted to know from him, older than my grandfather,
what he knew about [p. 366] the Book of Mormon, and what about the testi¬
mony he had published to the world concerning it. He told me in all the so¬
lemnity of his advanced years, that the testimony he had given to the world,
and which was published in the Book of Mormon, was true, every word of it,

at their request is doubtless true as to the copy which David Whitmer had. The
writing itself indicates that. Joseph Fielding Smith, church historian, says his fa¬
ther said that in his interview and that of Orson Pratt, David Whitmer admitted
that the three witnesses signed the original manuscript” (quoted in Sessions
1975, 461-62; see also VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878). Whitmer was
unaware that two manuscript copies of the Book of Mormon had been made and
that the manuscript in his possession was the second copy that Cowdery had pre¬
pared for the printer.

142

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES HENRY MOYLE, 1885

and that he had never deviated or departed in any particular from that testi¬
mony, and that nothing in the world could separate him from the sacred
message that was delivered to him. I still wondered if it was not possible that
he could have been deceived. I wondered if there was not something in that
psychological operation which some offer as the cause of these miraculous
declarations and by which he could have been deceived—although there
were three witnesses present besides the Prophet Joseph Smith, who saw and
heard the same mighty and solemn truths; so I induced him to relate to me,
under such cross-examination as I was able to interpose, every detail of what
took place. He described minutely the spot in the woods, the large log that
separated him from the angel, and that he saw the plates from which the
Book of Mormon was translated, that he handled them, 9 and that he did hear
the voice of God declare that the plates were correctly translated. I asked him
if there was any possibility for him to have been deceived, and that it was all a
mistake, but he said, “No.” I asked him, then, why he had left the Church.
He said he had not, but the Church had left him. He said that his faith in the
fundamental principles of the gospel, which had been revealed prior to the
year 1835, had never been changed; that he was still devoted to them and be¬
lieved in them just as much as he ever did, and was trying to live those princi¬
ples and exemplify them in his life. He said he knew Joseph Smith was a
prophet of God, that through him had been restored the gospel of Jesus
Christ in these latter days. To me this was a wonderful testimony. ...

[3. Reminiscence, 24 November 1928 ]

... It was my privilege to hear from the lips of David Whitmer himself in
1885 the solemn and unqualified declaration that he did see the Angel of
God, when he presented to the Three Witnesses the plates from which the
Book of Mormon was translated, and heard him say that they had been trans¬
lated correctly. In his testimony to me about three years before his death, he
also said in all solemnity that though he was alienated from him, because he
had fallen, nevertheless Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and did receive
revelations from heaven. He was an old man, respected by his neighbors,
well preserved, and intelligent. I [was] a boy, leaving college, just entering
upon life’s activities, reverently and pathetically appealing for the truth, as
he, in his eighties, with hair perfectly white, was contemplating the end of his

9. The assertion here that Whitmer handled the plates is contradicted by
Moyle’s diary, which states that “Mr Dfavid]. Whitmer Sen did not handel the
plates. Only seen <saw> them” (see above).

143

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

[p. 303] ... 10 [p. 304] earthly career. To have been insincere seems impossi¬
ble, would have made him a hideous, soulless mental deformity. ...

[4. Statement, April 1930]

... I shall never forget my experience early in July, 1885, as I was return¬
ing home from the University of Michigan where I graduated in 1885. I
went directly to Richmond, Missouri, for the sole purpose of meeting the
then remaining living witness to the divinity of the Book of Mormon, David
Whitmer. I inquired of the bus driver, the hotel clerk, and others, as far as
possible, as to the character and reputation of David Whitmer. All said he was
a fine old man, an excellent citizen, and was highly respected in the commu¬
nity. I introduced myself by presenting him with a book that I thought
would please him, and said to him that I had just graduated from college. He
was then in his eighties, with his hair and beard white, but in fair health. It
was about three years before his death. I said to him: “I was born and reared
in the Church and I do pray of you to let me know if there is any possibility of
your having been deceived. I am just commencing life as you are preparing
to lay it down, and I beg of you to tell me if there is anything connected with
the testimony which you have borne to the world that could possibly have
been deceptive or misunderstood.” I further said, in an earnest youthful ap¬
peal, that I did not want to go through life believing a falsehood, that it was in
his power to make known the truth to me. He described to me the details of
the occasion, of the angel presenting the plates from which the Book of Mor¬
mon was translated. The scene was in the woods, with nothing between the
angel and himself except a log that had [p. 121] fallen and was lying between
them. He declared that he saw the angel who had with him the plates from
which the Book of Mormon was translated, and that in the presence of the
angel he did hear the angel declare that they had been translated correctly.
While I am speaking from memory, the foregoing most essential facts to me
and which were the sole object of my visit, were so indelibly impressed upon
my mind, that they are perfectly clear and unmistakable. I asked him many
questions concerning his experiences with the origin of the Book of Mor¬
mon, and why he left the Church, all of which he endeavored to answer
frankly. We talked for a considerable time. His mind seemed clear and his
mentality above rather than below the average. He said he had never left the
Church, that they had maintained a branch of the Church in Richmond, and
that he had always been active in it; that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God,
and that the revelations he received up to the year 1835 were from God, but

10. Photograph deleted.

144

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES HENRY MOYLE, 1885

that he accepted none of them subsequent to that time. He appeared to have
become embittered against Sidney Rigdon especially, and I fancied turned
against the Prophet because of his placing Rigdon ahead of those who had
stood by the Prophet in his early work.

He said with seeming pride and much interest, that he had the first copy
of the manuscript from which the Book of Mormon was printed, in his hum¬
ble home. And it was a humble home. That when the great cyclone struck
Missouri, and houses were blown about and destroyed, every room in his
home was destroyed except that in which the manuscript was kept. He
seemed to feel that it was divinely protected. President Joseph F. Smith 11 ad¬
vised me that the copy of the manuscript was not the original, but one of the
three originals. 12 His sincerity was plainly shown when I asked him if he
would sell the manuscript and place a price upon it. He replied that he would
not. ...

[5. Statement, 13 September 1938] u

I was always deeply interested in the Book of Mormon, and had been
on a mission to the Southern States before I entered the University of Michi¬
gan. During my three years’ residence at the University I learned that David
Whitmer was still living and in good health. I concluded to visit him on the
way home to Salt Lake City. I graduated the latter part of June, 1885, and ar¬
rived in Richmond, Missouri, early in July.

Richmond is a small, rural town. I talked with the hack driver (that is
what they called them) who took me to the hotel, and learned from him that
David Whitmer was a highly respected citizen of the city. I likewise ques¬
tioned the clerk of the hotel, with the same results. I made such inquiry as I
could concerning him during my visit of part of a day.

I found David Whitmer seated under a fruit tree in front of his home,
which was located near the street and surrounded by an orchard. I under¬
stood that he had been bothered a good deal with curiosity seekers, and to
make him feel more at home with me, I presented him with an appropriate
book. I said that I had just graduated as a law student and was on my way

11. On Joseph F. Smith (1838-1918), son ofHyrum Smith and sixth presi¬
dent of the church, see Jenson 1971, 1:66, 3:781, 4:246, 319, 341.

12. Either Joseph F. Smith or James H. Moyle errs since there were only
two manuscripts of the Book of Mormon: the dictated manuscript and the
printer’s copy.

13. Cook 1991, 161-64, uses the 1941 reprint in the Deseret News rather
than the original 1938 publication in the Liahona.

145

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

home, and was extremely anxious to obtain from him whatever he would be
good enough to tell me about the Book of Mormon, the plates from which it
was translated and his testimony concerning the same which he had given to
the world.

I entered in a little diary which I kept the mere fact that I had visited
David Whitmer and that he had verified all that had been published to the
world concerning the Book of Mormon by him in his testimony, and that
was about all. In making that visit I had no thought of anything but my per¬
sonal knowledge and did not contemplate publishing anything concerning
it—it was purely an individual matter with me at the time. I told my friends
about it and spoke of it in the ward, but at that time it seemed to be common
knowledge. David Whitmer died about three years after I saw him. My
memory of the main facts is perfectly clear. I have always enjoyed good
health, never better than at the present.

David Whitmer was a man above medium height, slender rather than
stout and was in his shirt-sleeves. His hair was white, as was his long, patriar¬
chal beard. As I remember, he was a man of fairly intellectual appearance, for
the plain citizen that he was, and of good countenance. I am quite sure he was
a serious-minded man.

I told him that I had been born in the Church, my mother also; that my
father had joined the Church when he was a boy in his teens; that I had
grown up believing implicitly in the Book of Mormon; that I was about to
commence life’s activities as he was getting ready to lay them down, and
pleaded with him to tell me the truth—not to permit me to go through life
believing in a falsehood—that meant so much to me. I told him that he knew
the facts and urged him to tell me just what had happened in connection with
the introduction of the Book of Mormon. I seemed to gain his confidence
and felt free to ask him questions, and in fact did everything that I could think
of that would bring out the facts, particularly all of the circumstances and de¬
tails of his seeing the Angel, seeing and handling the plates and where the in¬
terview with the Angel Moroni took place and the conditions and circum¬
stances surrounding the same.

He said that they (Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and
Martin Harris) were out in the primitive woods in Western New York; that
there was nothing between them and the Angel except a log that had fallen in
the forest; that it was in the broad daylight with nothing to prevent either
hearing or seeing all that took place. He then repeated to me that he did see
and handle the plates; that he did see and hear the Angel and heard the decla¬
ration that the plates had been correctly translated; that there was absolutely
nothing to prevent his having a full, clear view of it all. I remember very dis¬
tinctly asking him if there was anything unnatural or unusual about the sur-

146

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES HENRY MOYLE, 1885

roundings or the atmosphere. He answered that question. I do not remember
exactly the words he used, but he indicated that there was something of a
haze or peculiarity about the atmosphere that surrounded them but nothing
that would prevent his having a clear vision and knowledge of all that took
place. He declared fp. 150] to me that the testimony which he had published
to the world was true and that he had never denied any part of it.

I asked him why he had left the Church. He replied that he had never
left the Church, that he had continued with the branch of the Church that
was originally organized in Richmond and still presided over it. In answer to
my questions, he said, in an unqualified, emphatic way, that Joseph Smith
was a Prophet of God, but had become a fallen prophet through the influ¬
ence which Sidney Rigdon exercised over him; that he accepted everything
that was revealed to the Prophet down to the year 1835, but rejected every¬
thing thereafter because he did not know whether it came from the Lord or
from Sidney Rigdon. He manifestly had become embittered against Sidney
Rigdon, due to his promotion to second place in the Church over men like
himself who had been with the Prophet from the beginning and who had
done so much for the Church. I then concluded, as I now believe, that jeal¬
ousy and disappointment had soured his soul, but nothing could obliterate
his testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon.

I asked him about the manuscript from which the Book of Mormon
was published. He said that he had the original of the three copies that were
made before the Book of Mormon was printed. I asked him if he would sell
the manuscript. He said no. I then asked him if he wouldn’t sell it at any
price. He said no, that he would not part with it. He also said, pointing to his
home, that when a cyclone struck Richmond a few years before every room
in his house was destroyed except the one in which that manuscript was kept.
He seemed to regard the manuscript sacredly. As he appeared to be a poor
man, at least in very ordinary circumstances, I was greatly impressed by the
fact that he would not even talk about selling it and with the fact that he
seemed to regard the care of the manuscript as being something of a sacred
trust. Neither did he seek a reconciliation with the Church, although that
would have inevitably increased his worldly comfort, and made him a highly
honored personage among Latter-day Saints.

President Joseph F. Smith had previously interviewed him and had
seen the manuscript. He said to me that it was not the original but one of the
other two copies. 14

14. An editor’s note reads: “Mention is here made of three manuscript

147

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

[6. Address, 18 March 1945] lD

... I am invited to speak about David Whitmer and the witnesses of the
Book of Mormon. ... [p. 443] ...

I came home from that mission 16 and the following year went East to
school. During that time I read in one of the local papers that David Whitmer
was alive and had given a very interesting interview to a newspaperman
which aroused my interest, and I determined that when I returned home I
would see him if he were still living. ...

When I graduated from school I made my way to Richmond, Mis¬
souri, the last of June 1885. There was only one train a day in and out of that
town. I therefore had to remain there during the night. It was a small town,
something like our nice little country towns here in Utah, in a farming sec¬
tion of the country. There was a bus to meet the train, drawn by horses of
course. I sat on the seat with the driver and there I began my investigation of
David Whitmer, and continued [p. 444] it for one day. I talked with the
driver. He said David Whitmer was a highly respected citizen of Richmond.
I stopped at the local hotel and talked with the clerk; he gave me the same re¬
sponse, as did everyone I approached.

In the newspaper article which I mentioned, the statement was made
that David Whitmer was pestered with curiosity seekers who had heard that
he had seen an angel from Heaven; so I brought a nice little present for him to
show I was really interested, and induced a friend of his to give me a favorable
introduction.

We went to his home. It was a plain, simple little two-story building
with one or two fruit trees in front of it, with no other ornamentation. We
didn’t have lawns here in those days. He was sitting in front of the house un¬
der a fruit tree in his shirt sleeves. I said to him that I was born in the Church.
My mother was born in the early days of the Church in Illinois; that my fa¬
ther came to Utah in his teens. ... [p. 445]

I said that I grew up in the pioneer days of Utah, believing devotedly in
my religion. I told him I had just graduated from the University of Michigan
as a lawyer and was about to commence my life’s work as he was preparing to
lay his down. I begged of him to not let me go through life believing in a vital
falsehood. Was his testimony as published in the Book of Mormon true? Was

copies of the Book of Mormon. We know of only two such, the original and the
printer’s copy.” See also n. 12 above.

15. Cook 1991, 164-70, uses the version published in the Instructor; the
text here is from the original as transcribed by Sessions.

16. Moyle served a mission in North Carolina in the late 1870s.

148

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES HENRY MOYLE, 1885

there any possibility for him to have been deceived in any particular? His an¬
swer was unequivocal. That there was no question about its truthfulness.
That the angel stood in a little clear space in the woods, with nothing be¬
tween them but a fallen log, the angel on one side, the witnesses on the other.
It was all in broad clear daylight; that he saw the plates and heard the angel
with unmistakeable clearness, and there was nothing to prevent the same.

He was 80 years old, perfectly gray, serious minded, and beyond ques¬
tion sincere. His mind seemed perfectly clear. He moved about with free¬
dom, and lived three years after with his mind normal.

I had just graduated in the law. He was the first witness I ever attempted
to cross-examine, and I did so with all the intensity of my impelling desire to
know the truth. The interview lasted two and a half hours. I exhausted all my
resources, and he was very kind and willing to aid me.

There was only one thing that did not fully satisfy me. I had difficulty
then as I have now to describe just what was unsatisfactory. I wrote in my di¬
ary immediately on my return home, that in describing the scene in the
woods he was “somewhat spiritual in his explanations and not as materialistic
as I wished.” That was my description then and I cannot make it any clearer
now. He said, “It was indescribable; that it was through the power of God.”
He then spoke of Paul hearing and seeing Christ, and his associates did not,
because it is only seen in the spirit, [p. 446]

I asked if the atmosphere about them was normal. Then he said it was
indescribable, but the light was bright and clear, yet apparently a different
kind of light, something of a soft haze I concluded.

A few years before in an interview with President Joseph F. Smith and
Apostle Orson Pratt, 17 they reported that he said it was more brilliant than
that of the noonday sun.

I have wondered if there was a special significance, not clear to me, in
the language used by the three witnesses in their testimony referring to the
golden plates, “And they have been shown unto us by the power of God and
not of man.” The eight witnesses say the plates were shown unto them by Jo¬
seph Smith. That I call materialistic, the other spiritual, and I could not get
anything more out of it. ...

17. See VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878. On Orson Pratt (1811-81),
see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

149

26.

David Whitmer Interview
with Chicago Tribune ,

15 December 1885

“The Book of Mormon. David Whitmer, the Associate of Joseph Smith,
Now on His Death-Bed. He Describes the Translation of the Golden Tab¬
lets at Which He Assisted. The Angel in the Pasture—His Hatred of Polyg¬
amy—His Services in the Church,” Chicago Tribune, 17 December 1885, 3;
reprinted in the Deseret Evening News 19 (24 December 1885); and Saints'
Herald 33 (2 January 1886): 12-14.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 15 December 1885, a correspondent of the Chicago Tribune inter¬
viewed David Whitmer at his home. At the time, the aged Whitmer was
confined to bed and was believed to be close to death. The interview should
be read with caution since it contains some rather obvious inaccuracies.
While some of the errors might be due to the interviewer, other errors prob¬
ably resulted from the manner in which the session with Whitmer was con¬
ducted. The reporter states that the subject was too weak and feeble to relate
the account personally; one of the family members, perhaps his son David J.
Whitmer, gave a narration and the Book of Mormon witness himself occa¬
sionally interrupted when he felt it necessary to make a correction or com¬
ment. According to Nathan Tanner, Jr., who interviewed Whitmer on 13
April 1886, David J., with his father’s approval, said “that the reporter of the
Chicago Tribune was not ad=mitted to his room nor did he have the inter¬
view [that was] reported in the Tribune, (He said the reporter was in town
and had talkfed] with members of the family, but that he was not admitted to
the sick man’s room as alleged and that the report was in other respects inac¬
curate, but his father did not wish to be always contradicting such reports and
so let it pass)” (see VI.A.28, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
NATHAN TANNER, JR., 13 APR 1886).

RICHMOND, Mo., Dec. 15.—[Special Correspondence.]—David
Whitmer, one of the founders of the Mormon Church, and a resident of this
quaint and interesting village for almost a half century, lies at the point of
death. At the family homestead are gathered the children, grandchildren, and

150

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1885

great-grandchildren of the dying patriarch, and beside his death-bed is the
devoted woman who linked her life and fortune with his more than fifty
years ago. When your correspondent called at the house today and was sum¬
moned into the bed-chamber where Father Whitmer was calmly awaiting
the final summons, a smile lighted up the old man’s countenance as he half
rose and feebly pressed the visitor’s hand, and then, as if overcome by the ef¬
fort, his head sunk back on the pillows. When told of the visitor’s mission and
that he had journeyed from Chicago to prepare an historical sketch on one
who had played so important a part in translating the Mormon Bible and
proselyting for the Mormon Church, the request for information met with a
cheerful response. Fearing, however, that the task would be too great, the
family deputed a member of the household to relate the history in the pres¬
ence of Father Whitmer, the narration being closely followed by him and
subjected to frequent corrections and interpolations.

David Whitmer was born in Pennsylvania, January 6th, 1805. The
photograph, from which the above likeness was engraved, 1 was taken four
years ago and, as compared with a photograph taken in 1872, shows that he
has aged rapidly during the last few years. The accompanying autograph was
written today, while the dying man lay propped up on his pillows. “It is
probably the last time this hand will ever grasp a pen,” he remarked as he
made the final stroke. While David was yet an infant his father, 2 who served
his country through the Revolutionary War, removed with his family to
Western New York and settled on a farm in Ontario County, near Watkins
Glen. The father, who was a hard-working, God-fearing man, was a strict
Presbyterian and brought his children up with rigid sectarian discipline. Be¬
sides a daughter, who married Oliver Cowdery, 3 the village school-master,
there were four sons—Jacob, 4 5 6 John,^ David, and Christian—who helped
their father till his farm until they had arrived at the age of manhood. During

1. The article was accompanied by an engraving of the aged David
Whitmer.

2. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), who married David’s sister Elizabeth
Ann Whitmer on 18 December 1832, see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

4. On Jacob Whitmer (1800-56), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 98.

5. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

6. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

151

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

the early part of June, 1829, 7 Oliver Cowdery incidentally learned that a
young man named Joseph Smith had found a valuable golden treasure in the
northern part of the county, 8 and imparted the information to David. They
decided to investigate the rumor, and Cowdery traveled to the home of
Smith for that purpose. On the road he found the community teeming with
excitement over the alleged treasure, and heard several persons threaten to
kill the finder unless he divided his wealth with them. When asked how they
knew such a treasure had been found, several asserted that they had seen the
receptacle from which it was taken by Smith. 9 Cowdery, assured that there
was more to the vague rumors than he had at first believed, pushed on to the
home of Smith, who was living on his father’s farm near Manchester. 10 At
first he found Smith inclined to be uncommunicative, but was finally permit¬
ted to view the treasure, and was greatly impressed by the sight. In fact his
wonderment was so great that he at once wrote to David to come without
delay. 11 David did so and was equally mystified.

The treasure consisted of a number of golden plates, about eight inches
long and seven inches wide, about as thick as ordinary sheet-tin, and bound
together in the form of a volume by three gold rings. A large portion of the
volume was securely sealed, but on the loose pages were engraved hiero¬
glyphics expressive of some language at that time unknown to any of the per¬
sons mentioned. Together with the golden tablets were a pair of spectacles,
set in silver bows.

Mr. Whitmer then described Smith’s story of the vision in which the
location of the plates was revealed, with the history of the Nephites,
Moroni’s labor, and Smith’s finding of the tablets, with which every one is
familiar.

7. This date is incorrect. Cowdery learned about Smith’s plates in 1828
while boarding with the Smith family in Manchester, New York, then in April
1829 traveled to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to meet Joseph Smith. Afterwards
Cowdery began sending letters to the Whitmers in Fayette, New York. In early
June 1829, Whitmer helped move Smith and Cowdery to his father’s home.

8. That is, in Manchester, Ontario County, New York.

9. For a similar statement, see VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH KANSAS CITYJOURNAL , 1 JUN 1881.

10. Rather, Cowdery went to visit Smith in Harmony, Pennsylvania.

11. Whitmer said in other interviews that he received three letters from
Cowdery (see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; and VI.A.12, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1 JUN
1881).

152

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1885

TRANSLATING THE PLATES.

Whitmer and Cowdery were greatly impressed by the recital of this
strange story, and were conducted to the hill, where they personally viewed
the receptacle in which Moroni, at the beginning of the fifth century, had
concealed the history of his fathers. Smith also said that he had been com¬
manded to at once begin the translation of the work in the presence of three
witnesses. In accordance with this command, Smith, Cowdery, and Whit¬
mer proceeded to the latter’s home, accompanied by Smith’s wife, 12 and
bearing with them the precious plates and spectacles. The house of the senior
Whitmer was a primitive and poorly designed structure, but it was deemed
the most secure for carrying out the sacred trust on account of the threats that
had been made against Smith by his mercenary neighbors. In order to give
privacy to the proceeding a blanket, which served as a portiere, was stretched
across the family living room to shelter the translators and the plates from the
eye of any who might call at the house while the work was in progress. This,
Mr. Whitmer says, was the only use made of the blanket, and it was not for
the purpose of concealing the plates or the translator from the eyes of the
amanuensis. 13 In fact, Smith was at no time hidden from his collaborators,
and the translation was performed in the presence of not only the persons
mentioned, but of the entire Whitmer household and several of Smith’s rela¬
tives besides.

The work of translating the tablets consumed about eight months, 14
Smith acting as the seer and Oliver Cowdery, Smith’s wife, and Christian
Whitmer, brother of David, performing the duties of amanuenses, in whose
handwriting the original manuscript now is. Each time before resuming the
work all present would kneel in prayer and invoke the Divine blessing on the
proceeding. After prayer Smith would sit on one side of a table and the aman-

12. In another interview, Whitmer reportedly stated that Emma Smith ar¬
rived at Fayette shortly after their arrival (VI.A. 17, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEWS WITH JAMES H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10 MAR 1884). On
Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith Collection.”

13. Whitmer repeatedly testified that the plates were not present during
the translation. Nevertheless, Nathan Tanner remembered Whitmer saying that
“Joseph was separated from the scribe by a blanket” (VI.A.28, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH NATHAN TANNER, JR., 13 APR
1886). Whitmer emphasized visibility of the translator to combat the speculation
that “Joseph Smith ... read the Spaulding manuscript from behind a blanket to
Oliver Cowdery, his amanuensis, who wrote it down” (VI.A.33, DAVID
WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 10).

14. The translation took about three months from 7 April to about 1 July

1829.

153

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

uenses, in turn as they became tired, on the other. Those present and not ac¬
tively engaged in the work seated themselves around the room and then the
work began. After affixing the magical spectacles to his eyes, Smith would
take the plates and translate the characters one at a time. 15 The graven charac¬
ters would appear in succession to the seer, and directly under the character,
when viewed through the glasses, would be the translation in English. Some¬
times the character would be a single word, and frequently an entire sen¬
tence. In translating the characters Smith, who was illiterate and but little
versed in Biblical lore, was ofttimes compelled to spell the words out, not
knowing the correct pronunciation, and Mr. Whitmer recalls the fact that at
that time Smith did not even know that Jerusalem was a walled city.
Cowdery, however, being a school-teacher, rendered invaluable aid in pro¬
nouncing hard words and giving their proper definition.

MORE MIRACULOUS DEVELOPMENTS.

A miracle is related by Mr. Whitmer as occurring while the translation
was in progress. It seems that Smith, who was puffed up with his great impor¬
tance as a confidential secretary to the Lord, displeased the Master by enter¬
ing into some carnal confab in relation to the work. For this offense he was
punished by having the celestial visitant, who first commissioned him to in¬
augurate the work, suddenly appear and carry off the plates and spectacles. In
this connection it might also be mentioned that Martin Harris, 17 one of the
witnesses to the translation, a farmer in the same county and a man of simple
mind and taste, was sent by Smith with a copy of the characters to Prof.
Charles Anthon, 18 a professor of languages in Columbia College and author
of several well-known works, who pronounced the language inscribed on
the plates Reformed Egyptian. 19

15. Joseph Smith was never seen wearing the spectacles with the plates be¬
fore him. Initially a blanket concealed him from his scribe, but this method was
quickly abandoned. Thereafter he translated in full view, placing the seer stone
in a hat and dictating without use of the plates.

16. See VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER WITH CHICAGO TIMES, AUG
1875. Whitmer’s anecdote about Jerusalem originates with Emma Smith (see
I.F.l, EMMA SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH EDMUND C.
BRIGGS, 1856).

17. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

18. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

19. However, see V.D.2, CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17
FEB 1834; and V.D.3, CHARLES ANTHON TO THOMAS WINTHROP
COIT, 3 APR 1841.

154

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE , 1885

About this time Harris, inspired by curiosity and elation, took sixteen
of the golden tablets home to show his wife, who is alleged to have stolen
them from a bureau drawer and peddled them among her friends.“ n For this
offense Harris was severely reprimanded by the Lord, through Smith, but the
angel afterwards recovered the plates and restored them. Smith’s offense of
tattling the secrets of the work among his neighbors was less readily con¬
doned, and for a long time the work was suspended, the angel being in pos¬
session of the plates and spectacles. Finally, when Smith had fully repented of
his rash conduct, he was forgiven. The plates, however, were not returned,
but instead Smith was given by the angel a Urim and Thummim of another
pattern, it being shaped in oval or kidney form. This seer’s stone he was in¬
structed to place in his hat, and on covering his face with the hat the charac¬
ters and translation would appear on the stone.

This worked just as satisfactorily as the old method, but at no time
thereafter was the backsliding Joseph intrusted with the precious plates.
However, the entire portion of the golden volume, which the angel said
might be translated, was reduced by the nimble amanuenses to readable
manuscript. The other installment was withheld until the Lord could dis¬
cover what effect the first had on the Gentiles. That He was not pleased with
the result is manifested by the fact that the sealed portion has not yet been de¬
livered to the world.

THE ANGEL IN THE PASTURE.

After the translation was completed Smith informed Cowdery, Whit-
mer and Harris that the Lord had instructed him that the time was at hand
when they should testify to all nations, tongues and people concerning this
work. These four Apostles of the Lord, as they were designated, accordingly
assembled in a pasture, cleared of underbrush, at a point equally distant be¬
tween two public highways. About the noonday hour they were seated on a
log waiting for the promised manifestation, having previously knelt in
prayer. All at once the heavens seemed to open and there appeared a dazzling
shaft of light, beside which the light of the sun appeared dim. Through this
cleft in the sky, which seemed to lead way up to the pearly gates beyond, ap¬
peared an angel, disguised as a man, bearing the semblance of a table. The an¬
gel descended to the earth, landing nearly at their feet. On this table were the

20. Rather, it was said that in June 1828 Harris took 116 pages of original
manuscript, which his wife stole and probably burned (see III.L.16, BOOK OF
MORMON PREFACE, 1829). W. R. Hine reported the error that Lucy Har¬
ris gave the manuscript to others (see IV.D.10, WILLIAM R. HINE STATE¬
MENT, CIRCA MAR 1885).

155

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

plates of gold from which they had just translated the Book of Mormon, and
the plates of brass on which were inscribed the commandments written by
Moses and which had been taken from Jerusalem by Nephi 600 years before
Christ and afterwards transported to America. The four Apostles were then
commanded to go forth among men and preach religion as set down in the
Book of Mormon.

After this wonderful manifestation Martin Harris mortgaged his farm
for $1,500 in order to obtain funds for printing the Book of Mormon, and all
four set about founding a church, which was called the Church of Christ, as
commanded in the Book of Mormon. The four Apostles began preaching,
and were so successful in securing converts to the new religion that a church
was organized April 6th, 1830. The Book of Mormon was also given to the
world that year. Concerning the converts Mr. Whitmer says that among the
first adherents to embrace the new faith were many of the most intellectual
and refined men and women in that locality, and the ranks were not recruited
from the ignorant and sensuous classes like the Mormons of Utah. The year
following the organization of the church the disciples moved to Ohio, where
they had been most successful in proselyting, and a temple was erected at
Kirtland. It was at this place that Sidney Rigdon 21 and Brigham Young 22
joined the church, and it was here that the first dissensions occurred.

Concerning Sidney Rigdon, who is said to have stolen the manuscript
of the Book of Mormon, which, it was alleged, had been written by a Presby¬
terian preacher named Solomon Spaulding, and originally intended as a ro¬
mance, Mr. Whitmer asserts that nothing could have been more improbable,
as neither Smith, himself, or the other disciples ever knew Rigdon until they
moved to Ohio.

HE KEPT THE RECORDS.

The original manuscript from which the Book of Mormon was printed
is still in Mr. Whitmer’s possession and most of it is in the handwriting of his
brother Christian and his brother-in-law, Oliver Cowdery. 23 Mr. Whitmer
also has an exhaustive history of the church, which was compiled by his

21. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

22. On Brigham Young (1801-77), see introduction to III.K.19, BRIG¬
HAM YOUNG ACCOUNTS, 1855 & 1857.

23. According to Royal Skousen’s recent research, most of the writing in
the printer’s manuscript is in Oliver Cowdery’s hand, a small portion having
been contributed by Hyrum Smith and an unknown scribe (Skousen 2001,
9-10).

156

INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1885

brother, 24 and an accurate copy of several plates from which the Book of
Mormon was translated. 23 These records he has preserved against all tempta¬
tions and in the face of death. Several years ago a delegation of Mormons
came to Richmond from Salt Lake and made every overture to Mr. Whitmer
in a vain attempt to gain possession of the records, but he stood aloof and de¬
clined every offer. 26 A prominent businessman of the place, at that time en¬
gaged in banking, informed your correspondent that he knows of his own
knowledge that the Mormon Church would have willingly paid Mr.
Whitmer $100,000 for the documents, and that the delegation returned
home thoroughly convinced that Mr. Whitmer was proof against all finan¬
cial temptation so far as concerned his records. ... 27

A GOOD CITIZEN.

As a citizen of Richmond he stands deservedly high, having filled the
office of Mayor and Councilman. Upright in his dealings with men and just
towards all, he has progressed gradually with the country until he and his
children and their children have secured good business standing and are re¬
garded among the best citizens of Ray County.

Of those who took part in the original translation, Joseph Smith was
shot by a mob in 1844, Oliver Cowdery died in this county thirty years ago,
leaving a wife and daughter, both of whom are yet living and reside in Silver
City, Mo. John Whitmer, a prosperous farmer, died at Far West in 1878,
leaving children and grandchildren. Jacob Whitmer passed away many years
ago, and his son, John C., a white-haired elder of the Church of Christ, con¬
tinues to preach the religion of his father in and about Richmond.

David Whitmer has two children, a son and daughter. The son, David
J., 28 is without issue. The daughter, Mrs. Julius Schweich, resides here and is
the mother of two children, both of whom have children. George, the eldest
of Mrs. Schweich’s children, is a shrewd businessman and is associated with
his uncle, David J. Whitmer, in the livery business. His [George’s] sister,

24. This refers to John Whitmer’s history (see VI.B.l, JOHN WHIT¬
MER HISTORY, 1831).

25. See V.E.2, BOOK OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-
FEB 1828.

26. See VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878.

27. Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism deleted (see Cook 1991,
177-79).

28. On David Whitmer, Jr., see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
5.

157

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Josie, is the wife of J. R. Van Cleve," private secretary to the Collector of
Customs at Chicago.

RICHMOND, Mo., Dec. 16—[Special.]—David Whitmer, who lies
at the point of death, had a sinking spell this afternoon and is not expected to
last until morning. 30

29. On James R. B. Van Cleave (1853-?), husband of Josephine Helen
Schweich, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 9.

30. Whitmer recovered from this illness and lived another three years.

158

27.

David Whitmer Interview
with Edward Stevenson,
9 February 1886

1. Edward Stevenson, Journal, 24:30-37, entry of 9 February 1886,
LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Edward Stevenson to Daniel H. Wells, 16 February 1886, Millennial
Star 48 (8 March 1886): 155-56.

3. Edward Stevenson to the Editor, 2 March 1886, Utah Journal
(Ogden, Utah), 10 March 1886, 3.

4. Edward Stevenson, “The Three Witnesses to the Book of Mor¬
mon,” Millennial Star 48 (12 July 1886): 436-38.

EDITORIAL NOTE

See introduction to VI.A.5, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
EDWARD STEVENSON, 22-23 DEC 1877.

[ 1 . Journal, 9 February 1886]

[Tuesday] 9: 7:15 A.M. Callfed] on David Whitmer[.] 8 years ago I visited
him & now againf.] he is 81 & very feeble I had to stop him [from] talking to
rest as I [could] see it [p. 30] was hurting him[.] about 11 [A.M.] he had to lie
down & rest. I then talked with David Jr 1 very seriously about 2 [h]ours; Fa¬
ther Whitmer Showed me the old manuscript in several diferent hand
writeings also the 7 or 8 lines of charectors that Martin Harris 2 took to An¬
thony [Charles Anthon] of N.Y. 3 ... Meny Incidents he related over [again]
that he did on my last visit. ... [p. 31]

1. On David Whitmer, Jr., see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.

2. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

3. Stevenson later recalled that while exhibiting the facsimile of Book of
Mormon characters, Whitmer said: “This is the very identical copy that Martin
[Harris] presented to Professor [Charles] Anthon, and was copied directly from
the golden plates” (cited in J. G. Stevenson 1955,1:179). See also V.E.2, BOOK
OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-FEB 1828. On Charles Anthon

159

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Now as 8 years ago he [Whitmer] Says [“]as I live and Stand upon the
earth so shure did I see the Angle who Stood before us. while we were sitting
upon a log[J that is Joseph & I <Se Oliver Cowdry> 4 we were talking when a
bright light began to Shine around us it grew brighter Sc brighter untill an
Angle Stood before us[.] a table [was] in front of him on which was the
[Gold] Plates and the other Platesf,] the Sword of Laben[,] Ball or Compass
See. the plates were shown [to] us [and the] leaves turned over[.] a portion of
them were sealed. We also he[a]rd a voice commanding us to bear a
testamony of these things to the World &c See —[”]

He also relates to me that previous to Joseph Coming [p. 33] to him[,]
only a short time [before] while he was plowing in the field[,] he he[a]rd a
voice and saw a personage [.] the voice Said [“]Blessed is the name of the Lord
Se they who keep his commandments [”] Soon after which Joseph came along
Se said [“]David you are chosen to be one of the witnesses of the Book of
Mormon. [”] he left his team tied up to the fence Se they went through a
clearing Se into the edge of the Woods Se sat upon the log as spoken of above.

He also relates a little very interesting Incident that occurred in June
1829, David, Oliver, & Joseph, were riding from Harmony[,] Pa.— the 2
former in front Se [p. 34] Joseph [in] back sitting in the bed on hay or strawf.]
David had bin down with his team over 100 miles to fetch Joseph up to his
mothers to translate the Book of Mormon about 21/2 days drive, while thus
rideing an aged looking old man came walking along putting his hand on the
wagon bed, he had on his back a knapsack Se the Strap crossed on his breastf.]
he took his handkerchief and wiped his face to remove the sweat as it Seemed
to them[.] David who was driveing his team said to the man [“]will you get
up and ride[?”] [“]no[”] said he [“]I am only going over to Comorahf”] Se
Suddenly disappeared they stop[p]ed the team [p. 35] amazed at the Sudden
disapearance of the fine looking strangerf.] he says that they all felt so
strangely—

that they asked the Prophet to enquire of the Lord who this stranger
was. Soon David said they turned around & Joseph looked pale almost trans¬
parent Se said that [he] was one of the Nephites, and he had the Plates of the
Book of Mormon in the knapsaefk]—

After their arival home the[y] felt the influence of this same personage
around them for he said thare was a Heavenly feeling with this Nephite.
Mother Whitmer Said and told them that She had see[n] this same man

(1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l, CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D.
HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

160

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1886

the Nephite Sc he showed her the Plates and [p. 36] that a portion of them
were Sealed together. This was a great privalige to her but She was good to
Joseph the Prophet and here was her reward. David delighted to relate meny
of those incidents. But as to Peter James Sc John Comeing to Joseph Sc
Confering the Priesthood upon him he is ignorant of it[.] he Says that the
Lord commanded and that is all. But here he is in the dark. 5 ... [p. 37]

[2. Letter to Daniel H. Wells, 16 February 1886]

New York City, Feb. 16, 1886.

President Dfaniel]. H. Wells. 6

Dear Brother—I have had the pleasure of calling at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., and visiting friends and looking over the sacred temple lot, se¬
lected by our honored Prophet Joseph Smith. ...

After my visit to Independence I took a run down to Lexington Junc¬
tion, 42 miles from Kansas City and up the Lexington Railroad five miles to
Richmond, Ray County, Mo., and called on David Whitmer, desiring to see
once more the only surviving witness of the visitation of the angel who com¬
manded him with others to bear record of the truth of the coming forth of
the Book of Mormon and this Gospel dispensation of the nineteenth cen¬
tury. Eight years ago I visited him, and 52 [p. 155] years ago I heard him bear
his testimony, as also Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, when I was only a
boy 14 years of age, and I am a witness that each time their testimony has
been by the power of God, that thrills through the whole system like a
two-edged sword. David Whitmer is now just past 81 years of age, and only
by a hair’s breadth has escaped from a death bed. He is very feeble, his frame

5. Stevenson elaborated on this in a letter to Apostle Franklin D. Rich¬
ards, 12 February 1886: “David [Whitmer] ... said many things [that] were not to
go out to the world. ... I enquired of David [Whitmer] and young David
[Whitmer, Jr.]; also of Philander A. Page, aged fifty-four, son of Hiram Page,
one of the eight witnesses; also John [Whitmer], in whose hands the records are;
all (and separately) who say that they do not have any knowledge of, neither do
the records show, concerning Peter, James, and John’s coming to the prophet
Joseph. On this and also on John the Baptist’s mission, they seem, all of them,
very ignorant. David said the Prophet of God received the command from God,
and that was sufficient authority. He did not seem to understand the necessity of
the connecting link of ordinations” (original in LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake
City, Utah, cited J. G. Stevenson 1955, 1:177-78).

6. On Daniel H. Wells (1814-91), second counselor to Brigham Young
(1857-77) and president of the British Mission (1864-65, 1885-87), see Jenson
1971, 1:62-66, 4:230.

161

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

weighing less than one hundred pounds. In this his last testimony, he said to
me, “As sure as the sun shines and I live, just so sure did the angel appear unto
me and Joseph Smith, and I heard his voice, and did see the angel standing
before us, and on a table were the plates, the sword of Laban, and the ball or
compass,” and although so weak and feeble, yet he fired up, so that after a
time I was necessarily obliged to check him and let him rest, while in turn I
talked to him. I was kindly received and entertained from 7:30 a.m. until 2
p.m., and it gave me much pleasure to ask a blessing at the dinner table of this
last surviving witness, and to see his continued firmness. A son of Hiram
Page, 7 one of the eight witnesses, also dined with us.

I remain, &c.,

EDWARD STEVENSON

[3. Letter to the Utah Journal, 2 March 1886]

EDITOR JOURNAL:—I believe the last you heard from me the Cannon
Ball Railroad train was running away with me with lightning speed. Well,
the ball struck the Lexington Junction, where I took a slower coach, 5 miles,
47 miles in all, and lodged at the Hugins House.

Tuesday morning, 9th. after an early breakfast, I called on David
Whitmer. It was 8 years since my last visit to him, and the change in him is
very perceptible. A few months previous, he was at death’s door, but, as he
said to me, his time had not come.

About 7:30 a.m., soon after breakfast I called on the venerable old gen¬
tleman, who has just turned 81 years of age. The first to meet me was the col¬
ored servants, both male and female. ...

Well, those domestics very courteously invited me into the domicile,
and the genial presence of David Whitmer, and I was, as on my former visit,
cordially received. But what a change 8 years had made in him, now feeble
and so emaciated that his frame would weigh, he said, less than 100 lbs. But
when it came to his testimony of the visitation of the angel, and other inci¬
dents of those early times, he fired up and manifested a zeal and power so pos¬
itive that it seemed to take him right back to into the presence of the angel.
His testimony was undeviating from that which I had from him 52 years ago,
and also 8 years past. He stated to me that, while he was in his field plowing,
he heard a voice and saw a personage who said, “Blessed is the name of the
Lord, and they who keep His commandments.” While reflecting on this sub¬
ject still plowing, the Prophet came along and told David that he was chosen

7. Probably Philander Page.

162

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1886

to be one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon. He tied his team up
to the fence and proce[e]ded with the Prophet across an opening or clearing
into the edge of the woods and there, Joseph, Oliver and David, sat upon a
log talking upon the coming forth of this work, when a light began to shine
around them, and it increased in lustre until a heavenly messenger appeared
before them, and before him was a table on which was placed the plates of the
Book of Mormon, ball and compass, and other things. The leaves of the
plates were shown to them, and a voice from the heavens declared those
things to be true, and they were commanded to bear testimony of them to
the world.

David Whitmer was so feeble that I was compelled to check him occa¬
sionally, lest he become exhausted. He said as sure as the sun shone, and he
stood upon the earth he did see the angel and hear his voice.

I thought this would be one more additional testimony of the last one
of the living witnesses who has one foot in the grave.

In a few minutes 6 of us will be out to sea.

New York, March 2, 1886.

E.S.

[4. Reminiscence, 1886\

DAVID Whitmer, the only surviving witness of the three, residing
now in Richmond, Ray Co., Missouri, is in the 82nd year of his age. My first
acquaintance with him was fifty-three years ago in [Pontiac] Michigan, 8
where he with the others related the vision of the angel and the showing of
the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the ball or compass used in the wil¬
derness by the Nephites, as they journeyed from Jerusalem. ... [p. 436] ...
Brother Whitmer said to see these things, and to hear the voice of heavenly
Beings testify to the correct translation of the plates, and commanding them
as witnesses to testify of these things to the world, was marvelous to them.
Nevertheless he knew that he did see and hear in open daylight.

I felt then, although only 13 years of age, (and I do more particularly
now in my riper years, for I am past 66,) that I was very much favored and
blessed of the Lord to see and hear those men, and to have been favored so
much since that time by being in their company so often.

In 1836 I met David Whitmer in Far West, Caldwell Co., Mo., and his

8. In October 1834, the three Book of Mormon witnesses and others ac¬
companied Joseph Smith to Pontiac, Michigan (see I.A.9, JOSEPH SMITH
RECITAL TO PONTIAC [MI] SAINTS, OCT 1834).

163

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

testimony was still unchanged. ... At the time of the Missouri troubles
Brother David located where he lives now, and, thank God, he never has fal¬
tered in the trust reposed in him. During the intervening time I have visited
him twice, once nearly nine years ago [1877], when I spent ten hours with
him in three sittings, and again last February [1886], when I remained from
early breakfast until two p.m., having dinner with him. ...

David Whitmer’s experience in the outset as a witness was somewhat
[p. 437] different from that of the other two. On the morning of the Sunday
that he was called to be one of the witnesses, he went into his field to plow,
and while so doing he heard a voice and saw a personage who said, “Blessed is
the name of the Lord, and they who keep his commandments.” Soon after
this the Prophet Joseph came to him, calling him to go with him and Oliver
Cowdery to be one of the three witnesses. He fastened his team to a fence,
and they proceeded through a clearing to the edge of the woods and then sat
upon a log. They were speaking regarding the great work of the Lord, when
a bright light shone around them which increased in lustre until an angel
stood before them. Then David said the angel took the book of plates and
turned over leaf after leaf, except a portion which was sealed by rings of gold
not yet translated, but to yet be translated in the due time of the Lord. The an¬
gel, he said, proclaimed that the translation from those plates into the Book of
Mormon was correct, and had been done by the power of God, and that they
were chosen to be especial witnesses of the same, and of the vision to all the
world as found recorded in the fore part of the Book of Mormon. ...

My last visit with David was enjoyed exceedingly. Although he was
very feeble, yet he was strong in his testimony, and is delighted to exhibit the
manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon, and the copy of [the] characters
exhibited to Professor Anthon.

EDWARD STEVENSON.

164

28.

David Whitmer Interview with
Nathan Tanner, Jr.,

13 May 1886

1. Nathan Tanner, Jr., Journal, 13 May 1886, [50-61], LDS Church
Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Nathan Tanner, Jr., to Nathan A. Tanner, 17 February 1909, typed
copy, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah. 1

EDITORIAL NOTE

Nathan Tanner, Jr. (1845-1919), was born at Montrose, Lee County,
Iowa. He immigrated to Utah in 1848 with his parents, Nathan and Rachel
Smith Tanner, and settled in South Cottonwood, Salt Lake County. After
his marriage to Margaret G. Harrington, he located in Ogden where he prac¬
ticed law. In 1884-85 he served as a missionary to the southern states. During
the latter part of his life, he moved to Blackfoot, Idaho, then to Springfield,
Idaho, where he later died (Jenson 1971, 3:536-37).

On 13 May 1886, Tanner visited David Whitmer in Richmond, Mis¬
souri, and interviewed him. Below is Tanner’s account of the interview re¬
corded at the time in his diary, followed by another account written on 17
February 1909 at the request of his son, Nathan Amasa Tanner (b. 1870) of
Ogden.

[1. Journal, 13 May 1886 ] 2

Thursday 13, Took stage for Lexing=ton Junction paying 75 cents for four
miles, then took train to Richmond and [p. 50] after leaving my baggage at
the Hotel near the depot went to the home of David Whitmer. I was met at
the door by his son David John[,] a man I should say of 45 years of age. I en¬
quired if Father Whitmer was within and be=ing answered in the affirmative

1. An amalgamation of the above sources was published in the Instructor
80 (October 1945): 469-71.

2. The organization of Tanner’s small notebook journal is occasionally
confusing, leading Lyndon W. Cook to misdate Tanner’s interview with Whit¬
mer to 13 April 1886, which was a Tuesday (Cook 1991, 187). The correct date
is Thursday, 13 May 1886.

165

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

asked when I could see him, and was ans=wered that it would be as conve¬
nient then as at any time. I was invited in and seated and he [p. 51] Calling the
old gentleman in was informed that I could not be gratified with a lengthy
talk upon the question of his testimony and the history of the translation,
Church history Sec as the calls upon him were too numerous and taxing
upon his enfeebled condition physically to admit of this.

The old gentleman was then called in and arising I introduced myself
stating that I had come from Kansas City to see the man [p. 52] who had been
so favored of God as to have been visited by an Angel and to have handled the
golden plates (My recollection was at the time that history said he did han¬
dle them)

after an exchange of friendly greetings and a few words about his physi¬
cal health in which his son said (and he I think assented) that the reporter of
the Chicago Tribune was not adtnitted to his room nor did he have the in¬
terview reported in the Tribune, (He said the reporter was in town and had
talk[ed] with members of the family, [p. 53] but that he was not admitted to
the sick mans room as a=ledged and that the report was in other respects in
accurate, but his father did not wish to be always contradicting such reports
and so let it pass) I asked him if the table, which the angel brought, and upon
which the plates lay when he viewed them was a tangible one, and he said
that he did not touch it, it had the semblance of a table. He then ex=plained
that he saw the plates and with his natural eyes, but he [p. 54] had to be pre¬
pared for it—that he and the other witnesses were overshadowed by the
power of God and a halo of brightness indescribable. 3

I then asked him if he ever handled the plates and he said that he did not
at any time. I refer=red to his going down after Joseph and Em=ma 4 to bring
the plates <and> them to his fathers, and he said the plates were not in the
wagon nor did he see them or at all during the translation. <He said Joseph
and [-] Oliver 5 and Emma told him about the plates and discribed them to
him and he believed them but did not [—] at the time testified of> He said
they were in the possession of the Angel during this time. [p. 55]

The manuscript by re=quest, said to be the original manuscript in the

3. Whitmer similarly toldjames Henry Moyle that “it was indescribable,
but the light was bright and clear, yet apparently a different kind of light, some¬
thing of a soft haze I [Moyle] concluded” (VI.A.25, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH JAMES HENRY MOYLE, 28 JUN 1885).

4. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

5. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

166

INTERVIEW WITH NATHAN TANNER, JR., 1886

handwriting of Oliver [Cowdery][,] Emma and Christian Whitmer 6 was
brought out and untied being wrapped in a sheet of brown wrapping pa=per
(or between a brown and buff the paper was) and being laid upon the table I
examined the sheets as many as I chose also the scrap of paper containing the
characters which were submitted by Martin Harris 7 8 to Prof Anthon and the
certificate of the clerk of the <U.S.> District [p. 56] Court of the <North-
ern> District of New York showing that Joseph had deposited the title of
the book with him claiming to be its author[.] The clerks name was R R
Lansing 9

He affirmed his testimony as given to the Book of Mormon both that
he viewed the plates and that the record was true according to the
tes=timony of the Angel and I was under the impression as he talked that he
had at some time claimed to have handled the plates but I thought that possi¬
bly I might have been mistaken [p. 57] and as he exhibited evidences of much
de=bility I did not call his attention to it.

I had a pleasant chat of perhaps half an hour. ... [p. 58] ...

Young David said that the preachers and many of the noble men of the
earth [p. 60] had viewed the M.S.S. [manuscripts] and that they expressed
themselves as feeling a reverential awe upon the occasion.

I subsequently had a lengthy chat with David John 10 upon his fathers
relation to the Church See and upon the M.S.S. [manuscripts] and His state¬
ment is that they were in O[liver] Cowderys possession and at his death were
turned over to his Father for safe keeping and have ever since been in his pos¬
session. In the evening I took the cars for Kansas City and put up at the
Lindell Hotel, [p. 61]

[2. Letter to Nathan A. Tanner, 17 February 1909 ]

[Blackfoot, Idaho]
17 February 1909

Nathan A. Tanner,

Ogden. [Utah]

6. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

7. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

8. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

9. See III.L.12, BOOK OF MORMON COPYRIGHT, 11JUN 1829.

10. On David Whitmer, Jr., see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER-

167

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Dear Nathan A;

Complying to your request to write an account of my visit to David
Whitmer, I looked for my diary of that date, but, to my surprise I can not find
it, so I will write from memory of the incident which occurred in May
1886 11 —nearly twenty two years ago.

I went from Independence^] Missouri to Richmond, with a view of
seeing David Whitmer, and upon alighting from the cars at Richmond, the
town of his residence, I enquired where he lived. A son of his who kept a ho¬
tel in the town heard me, and possibly guessing who I was said to a man sit¬
ting on the front seat of the coach, and loud enough that I heard him, “there
is a man who wants to see my father, and I will see that he does not see him”
or words to that effect.

Being directed to where I could find the house where David Whitmer
dwelt, I immediately went there and knocked and the son that I had seen on
the coach, or hotel bus, answered the knock and opening the door stood in
it, but did not invite me in, and I enquired if that was David Whitmers resi¬
dence, and being answered in the affirmative said I was passing through the
place, and had called with a view of seeing him. His son said that his father
was sick and could not be seen. I felt that the excuse was made simply to pre¬
vent me seeing David, and that his father might be seen if he chose to allow it,
and I prayed fervently but silently that the man might relent, and knowing
that newspaper men often bothered him, and did not always report him
fairly, I said, “I am not a reporter, I am simply passing this way and desired to
see the man who has been so highly favored of the Lord as his father had
been” and added that his father need not talk, but if I could see him and shake
his hand, I should feel satisfied, and favored. The man then invited me in and
said that he would go and see if his father felt well enough to be seen. He re¬
tired and in a few minutes reappeared and said “sit still, father will be out in a
few minutes.”

In a few minutes David appeared, a very feeble and stooped, but pleas¬
ant looking gentleman, and I arose and took his extended hand saying as I did
so that I was very greatly pleased to have seen him; and that as he was in feeble
health he need not talk, but I would be satisfied with the pleasure of his per¬
sonal acquaintance.

He bid me sit down however, and began to talk and continued I should
judge for a half or three quarters of an hour. He related the story of his first

VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
5.

11. Tanner’s journal entry is dated 13 May 1886 (see n. 2 above).

168

INTERVIEW WITH NATHAN TANNER, JR., 1886

hearing of Joseph, of the angels, or some other persons putting his grain in
order that he might go to the Prophet. He said that he had concluded to go as
soon as he could put in that field of grain, and he thought of course that it was
planted for him, in order that he might go the sooner.

He related the history of his travel to and meeting the Prophet whom,
he said, had seen him coming in vision, and had walked out to meet him on
the way, and knew him when they met. He said that the Prophet told him
where he stayed en route. How he had seen him reading a sign,—I think it
was a hotel sign, and he told him so many things which he could not know
only by inspiration, that he (David) could not doubt the divinity of his mis¬
sion. 12 David then went on and told me, in a general way, the whole history
of his relations with the Prophet. About the way the translation was accom¬
plished; about seeing the plates, etc.

He said that Joseph was separated from the scribe, by a blanket as I re¬
member 13 ; that he had the Urim and Thummim, and a chocolate colored
stone, which he used alternately, as suited his convenience, and he said that
he believed Joseph could as well [have] accomplished the translation by
looking in to a hat, or in to any other stone, as by the use of the Urim, or the
chocolate colored stone. David expressed absolute faith in the Prophets
power to get any information he desired, and by any means he should adopt
for the purpose. I mean he appeared to have absolute faith in Josephs power
with God, to get any information he wished for. And he did not think that
either the Urim or the stone he had were essential, or absolutely essential to
the obtaining of the information.

He said that Joseph would—as I remember—place the manuscript be¬
neath the stone or Urim, and the characters would appear in English, which
he would spell out, and they would remain there until the word was fully
written and corrected, when it would disappear and another word appear,
etc.

With reference to having seen the plates, he said they were brought in
and laid upon a table by an angel, who turned the leaves over for their inspec¬
tion, and that a voice from heaven spoke and said that the record was a true
one and that it was correctly translated. He also told of seeing the breastplate

12. Cf. VI.A.17, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH JAMES
H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10 MAR 1884; and VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER
INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP
1878.

13. This use of the blanket was reportedly denied by Whitmer on another
occasion (see VI.A.26, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHI¬
CAGO TRIBUNE, 15 DEC 1885).

169

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

and sword of Laban, and, as I remember, the Urim and Thummim, which
were a little way off, and in a receptacle which held them. A peculiar feature
of the man was that[,] from a feeble old man when he commenced his testi¬
mony, he began to be magnified in my eyes untill he was as fine a specimen of
humanity as I ever saw. It was unnecessary in my case, but I felt as I saw him
with the effects of the spirit upon him, that that was his special mission, and
that when performing it, God took him in hand and made his testimony ef¬
fective. I felt that no person could see him and hear his testimony as I did, and
doubt it, any more than David could doubt the divinity of Josephs mission
when they met under the circumstances of their meeting. And David said he
could not doubt it.

After talking as he did, so fully and freely he said “I have been asked if
we saw those things with our natural eyes. Of course they were our natural
eyes. There is no doubt that our eyes were prepared for the sight, but they
were our natural eyes nevertheless.”

I asked him if the table was a tangible one, and he said it appeared to be,
but they did not touch it. After his testimony about the plates, his son asked if
he should bring out the manuscript, and he assented, where upon they were
brought out, and examined and explained. Our conversation did not touch
upon his relations to the Church.

Love to all,
N. Tanner Jr

Post script.

As I close this letter Lyman 14 calls my attention to the fact that the copy
that was submitted to Prof Anthon was marked “Caractors” showing Josephs
illiteracy, and that he could not, for want of scholarship have written the
book with out inspiration.

Lyman has a call to take a mission to the Eastern States, to start in April.

Love to all,
N. Tanner Jr

14. Probably Tanner’s son, Lyman Greenwell Tanner (1888-?) (M. Tan¬
ner 1942, 95, 262).

170

29.

David Whitmer Interview with
Omaha (ne) Herald ,

10 October 1886

“Revelations. A Flood of Light Upon a Much Disputed Point of Mormon
Faith. Extraordinary Privileges Granted a Herald Correspondent By David
Whitmer, Who Was One of the Original ‘Three Witnesses’ to Prophet
Smith’s Discoveries. ... Interesting Statements Made By Mr. Whitmer Con¬
cerning the Manner in Which Revelations Were Made to Order,” Omaha
(NE) Herald 22 (17 October 1886): 4. Simultaneously released to various dai¬
lies, including the Des Moines Daily News, 16 October 1886; Chicago Inter-
Ocean, 17 October 1886; Salt Lake City Daily Tribune, 17 October 1886; and
Philadelphia Press, 17 October 1886; and reprinted in the Saints' Herald 33
(13, 20 November 1886): 705-708, 721-25. 1

EDITORIAL NOTE

On or about 10 October 1886, 2 David Whitmer was interviewed at his
home in Richmond, Missouri, by D. C. Dunbar, representing the Omaha
Herald. In a letter to James Henry Moyle of Salt Lake City from Glendale,
California, 15 February 1933, Dunbar related the circumstances of his inter¬
view with Whitmer:

... I went down to Richmond, Mo. as a representative of the Omaha Her¬
ald. Doctor Miller, Editor and co-owner of this leading daily newspaper,
had always taken an interest in the Mormon question and had read a press
despatch which stated that Mr. Whitmer was seriously ill, and that he was
“ The last surviving witness of the Book of Mormon .” My office was next

1. The interview may also have been published in the Plattsburg Democrat
(see VI.A.35, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH RICHMOND
DEMOCRAT, JAN 1888), but the incomplete files of the Democrat prevent ver¬
ification.

2. Although Dunbar considered himself a representative of the Omaha
Herald, he evidently sent copies of his interview to various dailies for simulta¬
neous release. The Herald bears the dateline of 10 October, while the Salt Lake
Daily Tribune, Philadelphia Press, and Des Moines Daily News have 9 October. The
possibility therefore exists that the interview occurred on 9 October rather than
the 10th and that the different dates represent differences in the postmarks.

171

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

to Doctor Miller’s, and he showed me the item mentioned and suggested
that I was the right man to secure an interview with Whitmer for the Her¬
ald— he believed it would be a splendid thing for the reading public.

I went down to Richmond with the necessary credentials, and after
some effort, met Mr. Whitmer, and got an interview which appeared in
the Herald, later, occupying the entire front page of the paper. Doctor
Miller also published, in the same issue, an editorial in which he paid me
some compliments.

Mr. Whitmer, when he was assured that I would print only the thing
he approved (he told me some things not for publication) gave me a com¬
plete history of his connection with the Church and of his seeing the angel
and handling the plates etc. He never hinted even that he had been de¬
ceived nor that his mind had undergone any change respecting the divine
origin of Joseph Smith’s mission. He did say, however, that the prophet
gradually began to receive revelations upon any trivial matters as were
brought to his attention. In other words he (Whitmer) thought that the
prophet had slipped in a way. This I did not publish. My own deduction
was that Whitmer had, perhaps, slipped himself a little. ...

Before I left Omaha to return to Salt Lake in 1890, David Whitmer,
through his secretary, wrote me a request that I undertake the writing of
his life’s history for publication in book form. I was obliged to decline the
request, because I was too busy at the time. He had been pleased with the
way I wrote the interview. He had had some disappointing interviews
with newspaper reporters and had, for some years, refused to be inter¬
viewed. My own impression was that he was absolutely honest and sincere
in his statements. And I was left to wonder whether he had drifted away
from his convictions or whether he had concluded that this wonderful se¬
ance with the angel, etc. was an illusion.... (Dunbar Correspondence, LDS
Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah, cited in Cook 1991, 207-208).

In a letter to Albert D. Hager, secretary and librarian of the Chicago
Historical Society, dated 21 October 1886, J. J. Snyder, Whitmer’s friend
and scribe, wrote that “the reporter of the Inter Ocean did have such inter¬
view, and the article is correct in substance[,] some mistakes in names and
dates” (Mormon Collection, Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, Illinois;
note that the Chicago Inter-Ocean and other newspapers carried the article si¬
multaneously with the Omaha Herald). The same month, Whitmer wrote to
the editors of the Saints’ Herald warning them of the errors in the recently
published interview:

RICHMOND, Mo., 1886.
Dear Bros. Joseph and Blair .—I suppose you have seen an article in the Chi-

172

INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD , 1886

cago Inter-Ocean of 17th inst, being an interview of a reporter with me. In
regard to it, I want to say as follows: The gentleman who wrote it used to
believe in the Book of Mormon, but his faith has been shaken of late, and
he came to me as an honest enquirer for the truth. He did not tell me any¬
thing about his intentions of publishing any article. He is with a job print¬
ing house, and wanted the tracing of the “characters,” etc., to have a
“wood cut” made of them to send to me. He is quite well posted on the
Latter Day Saint question. He asked me many questions, but took no notes
while here. I believe him to be an honest man.

On the following points he misunderstood me: In regard to some
things about Oliver Cowdery; some things about Martin Harris. He mis¬
understood me in regard to Joseph’s quarrel with his wife. I did not say that
Joseph treated his wife brutally on that occasion. I only said that Joseph had
quarreled with his wife, and lost the spirit of revelation until he repented
and made amends with his wife. He also made a mistake in saying Nauvoo,
when it should have been Kirtland. ... I write you this letter in confidence.
Do not publish it.

Your brother in love,
DAVID WHITMER.
(Saints' Herald 33 [4 December 1886]: 764).

When the Saints' Herald reprinted the interview from the Chicago
Inter-Ocean in November 1886, the editors criticized its factual errors, not¬
ing: “Since writing the chiefpart of the review we have received a letter from
David Whitmer in which he denies having told his interviewer some of the
things set forth in the foregoing article from the Inter-Ocean. His denial is not
sufficiently specific, and what is worse he requests that we do not publish it!”
(Saints' Herald 33 [20 November 1886]: 723). In a second letter to the Herald,
Whitmer complained about this treatment by the RLDS publication and
proceeded to quote from his first letter to document that he had, in fact,
warned the Herald’ s editors of specific inaccuracies. His second letter reads:

Before anything appeared in the Herald relating to that so called “inter¬
view,” I sent them a letter correcting the mistakes in that newspaper arti¬
cle. The Editors of the Herald had my letter before them, before they pub¬
lished anything about this matter. I told them not to publish my letter for
this reason, because I did not know the Herald was going to publish any¬
thing relating to that “interview.” So the Herald Editors went ahead and
published that so-called interview (with my letter before them) and ap¬
pended comments to it against me on some of the very points which I stated
in my letter that I did not say. For instance, the Herald almost abuses me for
saying that Joseph had treated his wife brutally, when they had my letter be-

173

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

fore them stating I had said no such thing. They say nothing about receiving
my letter correcting mistakes, until in the winding up of the last article in
the last number of the Herald, after they had already made it appear as if I had
made all of these statements to a newspaper reporter. Is this fair dealing? ...
(Saints' Herald 33 [4 December 1886]: 764).

Although the Des Moines Daily News was apparently the first to publish
the interview, I have chosen to reproduce the interview from the paper
Dunbar claimed to represent.

Richmond, Mo., Oct. 10—[Special Correspondence of THE HER¬
ALD.]—David Whitmer, the only living witness to “the divine authenticity
of the Book of Mormon,” is not dying. His recent extraordinary feebleness
was brought on by the intense heat, which very naturally affects one at his ad¬
vanced age rather severely. He is not even confined absolutely to his bed, al¬
though he passes the greater portion of his time there, and does little else than
rest. He is nearly 82 years of age. One would scarcely infer this from his erect
carriage and wonderful nerve power any more than from the exceedingly
fine control he exercises over a retentive and well-stored memory, which re¬
sponds readily to his call with accurate details. Newspaper reporters are not
admitted to his presence, and it is no wonder when one recalls the shameful
misrepresentations which have been sent out as “interviews.” The last of
these was written by an unprincipled penny-a-liner who, when he was told
emphatically that he could not see Mr. Whitmer, sent off to his paper the
sensational announcement that the “White-haired Hero of Hill Cumorah”
had just been stilled in death, and that with his latest breath he gurgled: “The
Book of Mormon is a fraud.” 3

Your correspondent has just finished the last of a series of interesting
conversations with the old gentleman, in which, after considerable coaching,
he expressed himself without reserve, by reason of our personal friendship.
David Whitmer is one of those three “special witnesses” who in 1829 sent
out to the world the following quaint proclamation: ... 4 5

Oliver Cowdery 0 never followed the church after the dissaffection of
the Whitmer party in 1838, but remained in Missouri, and in 1852 [1850]

3. The report referred to has not been located.

4. The Testimony of Three Witnesses has been deleted (see VI.G.l,
TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES, JUN 1829; Cook 1991, 194-95).

5. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), who following his excommunication
in 1838, lived in Tiffin, Ohio, and spent his last two years in Missouri, see “In¬
troduction to Oliver Cowdery Collection.”

174

INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD , 1886

was laid under the quiet green sod at Richmond. Harris 6 became estranged
from the church about the same time and from the same causes also, but long
after he had become feeble in both body and mind he was persuaded by per¬
sistent importuning to join his destinies with the Utah Mormons, and thither
he went more than ten years ago, only to lay down his bones in the shadow of
the great tabernacle. Mr. Whitmer entertains no doubt whatever that this
singular action upon the part of Harris was wholly chargeable to the enfee¬
bled condition of his mind, which had begun to manifest certain positive
symptoms of imbecility even before he entertained the overtures from the
Rocky Mountain saints. His step in this direction was greatly deplored by his
old-time associates, “the witnesses” (there were eight other witnesses who
testified to having handled the plates), who had come out solid from the
church in 1838 and remained, with this one exception, in perfect accord.
When this serious rupture in the organization occurred it took from the fold
among others John Whitmer, 7 the church historian, and with him the
church records covering their early history up to that date. These records are
in Richmond in the possession of John Christian Whitmer, a son of one of
the “eight witnesses,” and with the original manuscript of the book of Mor¬
mon, which David Whitmer holds, are really the most notable relics of the
church and are much sought after by the Utah Mormons. In 1879 two of the
Mormon “apostles,” Orson Pratt 9 and Joseph F. Smith 10 (a son of Hyrum
Smith, 11 who was killed with the prophet), visited Richmond for the express
purpose of obtaining these time-worn sheets, and they came admirably pre¬
pared to pay for them. Mr. Whitmer received them courteously, and Apostle
Pratt said: “Father Whitmer, we desire to purchase the manuscript, and we
are authorized to say that you may name your price, and (with a patronizing
air) be sure you put the price high enough, for the church has plenty of
money in the treasury, you know.” It was a brilliant overture, but how dis—

6. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

7. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

8. On John C. Whitmer, son of Jacob Whitmer, see VI.A.7, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F.
SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 7.

9. On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

10. OnJosephF. Smith (1838-1918), son of Hyrum Smith and sixth presi¬
dent of the church, see Jenson 1971, 1:66, 3:781, 4:246, 319, 341.

11. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

175

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

mally it failed. Old Mr. Whitmer replied with quiet emphasis: “Elder Pratt,
there isn’t gold enough in the world to buy it.” They knew it too, and no fur¬
ther importuning was indulged in. The tavern keeper makes the very reliable
statement that before leaving Richmond Orson Pratt told him that they
would have willingly paid $100,000 for the manuscript. ... 12 Mr. Whitmer’s
remarkable attachment for the manuscript may be easily accounted for. He is
one of the very few who saw it written—that is, parts of it, and one may infer
from the tenor of his testimony and the sincerity with which he still adheres
to it that he entertains no shadow of a doubt that the record came forth by di¬
vine inspiration. His recital of reminiscences which take him back to the days
of his devotion to the Mormon prophet are pathetic and interesting. He was
but 24 years of age, and working on his father’s farm near Palmyra, N.Y., 13
when the village school teacher, Oliver Cowdery, at that time a stranger to
him, mentioned in a somewhat serious way the reputed finding of the gold
plates by Joseph Smith—a topic on everybody’s tongue for miles around.
Cowdery was visibly impressed by the report and announced his intention to
visit Smith and investigate the matter for himself, promising Whitmer, at the
latter’s request to advise him of the results of his investigation upon his re¬
turn. A letter from Cowdery, a few days later, urged his friend to come im¬
mediately to where Smith and the plates were, in order that he (Whitmer)
might receive the personal assurance that Smith’s claims were substantial. 14
He went. It was a two day’s journey. The prophet received him with open
arms, and he remained long enough to become strongly and favorably im¬
pressed with the situation. It was not long after this incident 15 that Whitmer
while plowing in the field one afternoon was visited by Smith and Oliver
Cowdery who requested him to accompany them into the woods for the
purpose of witnessing a manifestation which should qualify him and Cow¬
dery to testify as witnesses of the divine authenticity of the Book ofMormon;
for Smith explained that this action was in pursuance of clearly defined in-

12. Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism deleted (see Cook 1991,

196).

13. Peter Whitmer, Sr.’s, farm was in Fayette, Seneca County, New York,
not in Palmyra. David Whitmer met Oliver Cowdery while on a business trip to
Palmyra in 1828.

14. According to other statements, Whitmer received three letters prior to
visiting Harmony, Pennsylvania, in early June 1829 (VI. A.7, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH,
7-8 SEP 1878; VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KAN¬
SAS CITY JOURNAL , 1 JUN 1881).

15. Late June 1829.

176

INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD , 1886

structions received from an angel of the Lord. The woods were not distant
more than a stone’s throw from the farm house and thither they repaired and
engaged in “fervent prayer.” All of a sudden, Mr. Whitmer says, he beheld a
dazzlingly brilliant light that surpassed in brightness even the sun at noonday
and which seemed to envelope the woods for a considerable distance around.
Simultaneous with the light came a strange entrancing influence which per¬
meated him so powerfully that he felt chained to the spot, while he also expe¬
rienced a sensation of joy absolutely indescribable. While trying to realize
what had come over him, there appeared immediately in front of the little
party a personage clothed in white and near him a table containing a number
of gold plates, some brass plates, the urim and thummum, the sword of Laban
(a distinguished Nephite), and some other articles. Whitmer and Cowdery
were requested by the personage to examine these things, and after the in¬
spection they were told that the Lord would demand of them that they bear
witness to all the wor[l]d. Mr. Whitmer describes every detail of the “vision”
with great precision and much fervency, and insists that he handled and scru¬
tinized the plates, and that the form and appearance of the strangely engraved
characters were so impressed upon his memory that he would never forget
them. At this particular state of the recital an inspection of a copy of the hi¬
eroglyphics made from the first of the gold plates by Joseph Smith and pre¬
served with the same solicitude that is thrown around the original manu¬
script, becomes of curious interest. The accompanying cut is a perfect
fac-simile of the little sheet which took Joseph Smith a whole week to copy
so particular was he that the characters should be perfectly reproduced, and
that the “reformed Egyptian” language should be shown up in all its native
simplicity, for, it must not be forgotten, there was a singular significance in
the errand which this scrap of paper was destined to perform. Martin Harris,
who had received a similar “visitation” to that recounted of the other two
witness[es], was dispatched to New York with this copy of the gold plate,
which he presented to Prof. Anthon 16 with a request for the learned linguist
to read it, in fulfillment of a prophecy of Isaiah, which is here literally applied
and which reads: “And the word of the Lord has become unto them as the
leaves of a book which are sealed, and which is delivered unto him that is
learned, saying: read this, I pray thee, and he saith, I cannot for it is sealed,”
etc. [Isaiah 29:11] Much of the translation of the plates was accomplished at
the house of Peter Whitmer, 17 the father of David, and the latter witnessed

16. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

17. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

177

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

demonstrations, on more occasion than one, of the prophet’s manipulation
of the stone spectacles. He states that the work of translation occupied fully
eight months, and that at times this peculiar instrument would refuse to
perform its functions. On such occasions the prophet would resort to prayer,
and after a short season he would return to his work to find that the urim and
thummum reflected the words of the translation with its wonted power. This
rigorous exactment required him to be humble and spotless in his deport¬
ment in order that the work might progress. On one occasion the prophet
had indulged in a stormy quarrel with his wife. 19 Without pacifying her or
making any reparation for his brutal treatment, he returned to the room in
the Whitmer residence to resume his work with the plates. The surface of the
magic stone remained blank, and all his persistent efforts to bring out the
coveted words proved abortive. He went into the woods again to pray, and
this time was gone fully an hour. His friends became positively concerned,
and were about to institute a search, when Joseph entered the room, pale and
haggard, having suffered a vigorous chastisement at the hands of the Lord. He
went straight in humiliation to his wife, entreated and received her forgive¬
ness, returned to his work, and, much to the joy of himself and his anxious
friends surrounding him, the stone again glared forth its letters of fire. The
urim and thummum, in this strange process of translation, would reflect a
number of words in pure English, which would remain on its face until the
party acting as scribe had got it correctly written, and the occasional disposi¬
tion of the characters to remain long after they had been so written was al¬
ways an infallible evidence that there was something wrong in the translation
of the record, and a close comparison would invariably reveal this fact. When
the necessary corrections has been made the words would instantly disappear
from the urim and thummum and new ones take their place. The first 116
pages when completed were by permission of the prophet entrusted to the
hands of Martin Harris, who carried them home to his incredulous relatives
in triumph, hoping by the exhibition to convert his family and kinfolk from
their uncompromising hostility to the religious premises he had adopted.
Upon retiring at night he locked up the precious pages in a bureau drawer,
along with his money and other valuables. In the morning he was shocked to
find that they had been stolen while his money had been left untouched.
They were never found and were never replaced, so that the Book of Mor-

18. It took only three months, from 7 April to about 1 July 1829.

19. Whitmer subsequently stated that he did not intend to be understood
as saying Joseph Smith “treated his wife brutally,” only that he had “quarreled
with his wife” on this occasion (see Saints’ Herald 33 [4 December 1886]: 764,
quoted in the editorial note).

178

INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD, 1886

mon is today minus just 116 pages of the original matter, which would in¬
crease the volume fully one fourth its present size. This unpardonable care¬
lessness evoked the stormiest kind of chastisement from the Lord, who took
from the prophet the urim and thummum and otherwise expressed his con¬
demnation. By fervent prayer and by otherwise humbling himself, the
prophet, however, again found favor, and was presented with a strange
oval-shaped, chocolate-colored stone about the size of an egg, only more
flat, which, it was promised, should serve the same purpose as the missing
urim and thummim (the latter was a pair of transparent stones set in a
bow-shaped frame and very much resembled a pair of spectacles). With this
stone all of the present Book of Mormon was translated. It is the only one of
these relics which is not in the possession of the Whitmers. For years Oliver
Cowdery surrounded it with care and solicitude, but at his death, old Phineas
Young, 20 a brother of Brigham Young, 21 and an old-time and once intimate
friend of the Cowdery family, came out from Salt Lake City, and during his
visit he contrived to get the stone from its hiding place, through a little de¬
ceptive sophistry, expended upon the grief-stricken widow, [and] when he
returned to Utah he carried it in triumph to the apostles of Brigham Young’s
“lion house.” 22 In reciting this early experience of the church Mr. Whitmer
rises to his feet and with an intense earnestness and a clear and forcible itera¬
tion he carries the listener along through every detail with wonderful preci¬
sion. ... 23 The tendency of Smith to abandon the primitive faith and intro¬
duce these damnable doctrines, Mr. Whitmer assures me, began to develop
quite early in the history of the church. He manifested an alarming disposi¬
tion to get revelations to cover every exigency that would arise, and in this he
was eagerly urged on by some of his associates who would frequently come
to him with the request that he “ask the Lord” about this thing or the other.
The first striking instance of it, and one that gave rise to grave apprehensions
in the minds of David Whitmer and others of his kind, occurred in connec¬
tion with the publishing of the first edition of the Book of Mormon. Martin
Harris was a well-to-do farmer, and he was expected to mortgage his prop¬
erty for the purpose of raising the necessary funds for the printing of the

20. On Phineas Howe Young (1799-1879), see introduction to III.K.23,
PHINEAS HOWE YOUNG AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 1863.

21. On Brigham Young (1801-77), see introduction to III.K.19, BRIG¬
HAM YOUNG ACCOUNTS, 1855 & 1857.

22. Phineas Young was Oliver Cowdery’s brother-in-law. He obtained
the stone from Oliver’s widow in 1850 (see Quinn 1987, 195).

23. Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism is here deleted (see Cook
1991, 201-202).

179

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

book. His seeming reticence to act in the matter, which Mr. Whitmer attrib¬
utes to the cautious business-like manner in which he did everything, of¬
fended some of the brethren, and Hyrum Smith, “The Patriarch,” proposed
that some of them take the manuscript to Canada and there sell the copyright
for sufficient money to enable them to get out the publication. A revelation
was procured “to order” and warranted to fit, a thing which occurred with
remarkable frequency afterwards and which caused it to be a matter of fore¬
gone conclusion that whatever the desires of the favored few expressed or the
pressing emergency of the hour demanded it would be admirably embodied
in the “message from heaven.” Thus “the word of the Lord came,” directing
that two of the brethren go to Canada as suggested. They went. They also re¬
turned, but they brought no money with them, and no promise of any. 24
Revelations came in the same manner respecting the establishment of the
high priesthood system, which was the work of Sydney Rigdom, an ambi¬
tious biblical scholar, who yearned for authority and notoriety. As well might
they restore, says Mr. Whitmer, circumcision and the typical ordinances that
were annihilated by Christ’s coming as to ornament the church premises
with Melchisidec priests.

... 25 David Whitmer, during his residence of nearly half a century in
Richmond, has at different times filled the offices of mayor and councilman.
He is surrounded with comfortable circumstances and is very highly and very
generally respected. Some time ago he baptized his nephew, John Christian
Whitmer, whom he has since ordained an elder, and who is as valiant for the
cause as his father, Jacob Whitmer, 26 was before him. The old gentleman’s
son, David J. Whitmer 27 ; his grandson, George W. L. Schweich, 28 and Phi-

24. See also VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 30-31;
VI.C.2, HIRAM PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 2 FEB 1848; VI.F.10,
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH, III, JUL & SEP 1872, 1; and
VI.F.12, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO [JAMES T. COBB?], CIRCA 1881.

25. Material unrelated to pre-Ohio Mormonism deleted here (see Cook
1991, 204-206).

26. On Jacob Whitmer (1800-56), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 98.

27. On David Whitmer, Jr., see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n.
5.

28. On George W. Schweich, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP
1878, n. 6.

180

INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD , 1886

lander Page 29 are also zealous members of the little Church of Christ, which
at the present time comprises a fair-sized membership. They are working
along quietly and are “looking forward to the time when the Lord shall send
the gospel to the remnant of the seed of Israel,” the Lamanites or American
Indians.

29. On Philander Page, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 21.

181

30.

David Whitmer Interview
with M. J. Hubble,
November 1886

M. J. Hubble, Account, 13 November 1886, Hubble Family Papers, Uni¬
versity of Missouri (and State Historical Society of Missouri), Western His¬
torical Manuscripts Library, Columbia, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Martin Jones Hubble (1835-?) was a successful businessman living in
Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. The Hubble Collection at the State
Historical Society of Missouri consists of thirty-five folders of letters and
documents collected by Miss Janie Hubble of Springfield, Missouri, in an at¬
tempt to compile a family genealogy and locate a revolutionary war ancestor
so she could join the Daughters of the American Revolution. The following
document from the collection is an account of Martin Hubble’s interview
with David Whitmer.

Richmond[J Nov 13/[18] 86

I have just come from an interview with David Whitmer who is one of
the witnesses to the translation of the Mormon Bible or “Book of Mormon”
as he alw^ays called it when speaking of [translation] the book. I did not ask
him how old he was but I think he must be between 75 Sc 80 years old, 1 about
5 feet 9 inches high hair Iron grey not white smooth shaven Sc when young
would I think have weighed 150 lbs. his nose & eyes are his strong features,
the first is large Sc shaped somewhat after the manner of what the negroes in
the south used to call “Hawk Nosed” [p. 1] His the eye, when he was discuss¬
ing the “Plates” from which Joe Smith made the translation (or pretended to)
lighted as brillian[t]ly as ever I seen an eye in my life, it brought back, in a
flash, the eyes of a beautiful girl in Springfield[,] Mo, when at a social party
<in 1856> I told her I had news from her lover who had just got to
Calafornia via overland route with a herd of cattle—it was the only time I
have ever seen Miss Lizzie S—s eyes rivaled, the thumb of his right hand is
missing Sc he is now suff=ering from rhe rheumatic pains

1. Whitmer was 81.

182

INTERVIEW WITH M. J. HUBBLE, 1886

I was met at the door by a pleasant faced inteligent [p. 2] lady of 25 years
I should think, who was present at the conversation Sc who called Mr
Whitmar Grandpappa

I asked as soon as I could the privalidge of an interview for publication
but he said he prefered not as an interview published in a Chicago paper
some years ago 2 Sc written I think he said by Mr Jacob T Childs 3 <Editor> of
the “Richmond Conservator” was nearly right, (“only two trifling errors”
he said,) Sc he wanted that “to stand for all time as his testimony as to things
therein mentioned,” So I jot now put on paper for my own benefit what Mr
Whitmer told me [p. 3] Copying his language as near as I Can. “My Brother
was Sheriff of our county in Western New York. 4 5 He got Cripled Sc had
business in the neighborhood of where the Smiths lived Sc sent Me to attend
to it, while transacting the business I first heard of the Smiths, Sc the transla¬
tion. 3 A part of the book of Lehigh [Lehi] had been translated, about 150
pages Sc taken to Philadelphia [Palmyra] by one of the parties, who put it in to
a bureau drawer at night, the next morning it was gone Sc has never yet been
found. 6 Joseph Smith was informed that for his transgressing the [p. 4] the
command, to keep it always under his care, he would be punished Sc the
“gift” of reading through the spectacles was taken from him for about 3
months 7 & he never was allowed to see the “plates” again but at the end of his
punishment, he was told that he might translate the book of Mormon, in¬
stead of the book of Lehigh but would not be permitted to see the “plates” [,]
that the “Characters” would appear before him Sc when he translated them

2. Most likely VI.A.14, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
CHICAGO TIMES, 14 OCT 1881.

3. Onjacob T. Childs, see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878, n. 4.

4. Richard L. Anderson reports that Christian Whitmer was “elected as
one of six constables of Fayette township in 1828 and 1829” (R. L. Anderson
1981, 125).

5. Evidently in late 1828.

6. Hubble evidently conflates the story of Martin Harris taking the Book
of Mormon characters to scholars in New York and Philadelphia in February
1828 and his subsequent loss of about 116 pages of the original manuscript in Pal¬
myra about June-July 1828 (see “Introduction to Martin Harris Collection”).
The only other source that mentions Harris going to Philadelphia is IV.A. 1, JO¬
SEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 4.

7. According to Lucy Smith, the period was July to mid-September 1828
(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:86-87). However, Joseph
Smith’s history states that the plates were returned “in a few days” (I.A. 15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 10).

183

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

correctly they would disappear & new ones come in their place[;] if not
translated correctly <the first time> they would remain untill they were [,]
[p. 5] which in several instances he knew to be true because he said Joseph
Smith was a man of limited education [who] could hardly write legibly

The statement regarding the “Book of Lehigh” surprised Me, never
having heard it before, although, I can well remem=ber the “Mormon
War”, my Father having participated therein, Sc I can remember the pain Sc
sorrow his departure caused my Mother & her joy at his return, therefore I
have been particular to write his statement correctly

He said the Brass or Gold Plates were bound to=gather at the back by
having 3 rings run through Sc when [p. 6] a page was translated it turned back
on the ring.

He said Smith translated by Means of a pair of large bowed Specticles
ie the “book ofMormon”, that the Characters would appear in the air Sc stay
untill correctly translated Sc then disappear[,] that Smith was {unread } igno¬
rant of the Bible[,] that when in translating he first came to where Jerusalem
was spoken of as the <a> “Walled City” he stop[p]ed untill they got a Bible
Sc showed him where the fact was recorded—Smith not believing it was a
walled City. 8 9

Mr Wfhitmer] said that when Jerusalem was captured by [p. 7] the
Babalonians[,] that many of the Jewish histories were missing Sc [he] believes
that the book of Lehigh Sc Book ofMormon were safely secured by their
proper owners Sc brought to this {--} continent Sc under the guidance of Al¬
mighty God buried untill future generations should be ripe for the truth. Mr
W[hitmer] also expressed reverently, his belief in “Our Lord Sc Savior Jesus
Christ”. Although an old man his mind is clear Sc he e xpresses his mind Sc
vi[g]orous Sc he expresses him^self in good language Sc he believes what he
says

8. This confusing sentence was probably intended to read: “He said
Smith translated the ‘Book of Mormon’ by Means of a pair of large bow¬
shaped Specticles.”

9. Cf.VI.A.3, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO
TIMES, AUG 1875. The information about the walls of Jerusalem originated
with Emma Smith (see I.F.l, EMMA SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW
WITH EDMUND C. BRIGGS, 1856).

184

31.

David Whitmer Interview with
Edward Stevenson,

2 JANUARY 1887

1. Edward Stevenson, Journal, 28:123-130, entry of 2 January 1887,
LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Edward Stevenson to Franklin D. Richards, 10 January 1887, Ed¬
ward Stevenson, Journal, 28:106-113, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah.

3. Edward Stevenson, “A Visit to David Whitmer,” Juvenile Instructor
22 (15 February 1887): 55.

4. Edward Stevenson, “The Thirteenth Witness to the Plates of the
Book of Mormon,” Juvenile Instructor 24 (1 January 1889): 22-23.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Nine days after his third interview with David Whitmer (see introduc¬
tion to VI.A.5, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD
STEVENSON, 22-23 DEC 1877), Edward Stevenson sent a note to the edi¬
tors of the Millennial Star, who summarized: “Brother Stevenson says that he
[Whitmer] still continues to bear a faithful testimony to the truth of the Book
of Mormon. He bore that testimony first in his youth, and now when his
limbs are tottering with age, and there are at best a few feeble steps between
him and his grave, he re-affirms his first statement with all the ardor of con¬
viction” (. Millennial Star, 14 February 1887, cited in Cook 1991, 217).

[1. Journal, 2 January 1887]

2d ofjan. 1887. ... Breakfast 6.30 A.M. very good 8c clean but to[o] much
hurry as train starts at 7[.] Waiter takes our baggage to train and we leave
Kansas it is very cold 17 degfrees] Below Zero [p. 123] we pass liberty land¬
ing, whare I spent some some of my boyish days. 52 years ago. at 8.50 AM we
stop of[f] at lexington Junction cold terrible cold morningf.] train 6.30
only[,] to day [being] Sunday, [and] it being so cold we concluded to walk
out to Richmondf,] Ray Co. [,] Mo. whare my mother a widdow lived when
I was in my teens[.] I well remember going on foot from Far West, to Rich¬
mond, for my gun that I with the rest of the Latter Day Saints surrendered [to
the state militia] in the Hollow Square at Far West in 1837 or [183] 8. So as I

185

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

walk out on Sunday the 2d day of a new year to visit David Whitmer, who
has Stood in the presance of an Angle, it is with no ordinary feelings I assure
all who may read this narative and especialy as I am now an exile from [my
childhood] home and [our former] Enimies who would [have] delight[ed] to
imprison me for only obeying Gods Commands, for an expose [ex post]
Facto law. But the time is short for [the prophesied] intrusion on our Noble
and God[-]like Constitution & The Stars and Stripes, long may they Wave as
a Becon of true Liberty, [p. 124] E[mily] E Stfevenson] 1 nearly gave out
twice as She is a poor walker we stoped twice and one very kind Mo [Mis¬
souri] Woman gave us some wine. 17 Below zero and the coldest day for
years in this Sexion [section] of country. We arrived at David Whitmers and
was welcombed. we spent 4 [hJours and was well entertained. Mr [blank
space] 2 Page a son of hyrum Page 3 was <thare>[.] I have visited him in 1878,
and in 1886, & now in 1887. and each time see the manuscript^]. But Mrs
Sftevenson]. had not[.] havefing] [seen them,] I had them brought out and
we again looked them over[.] portions [were] sewed together with yarn
[—]White[,] dark[,] and grey color[e]d. we also looked over the coppy of
Characters that Martin Harris 4 took to Professor A nth on 5 [of] NY [ (]7 lines 7
or 8 inches long 3 or 4 infehes] wide, of very curios workman ship as follows
exact coppy) 6 ... [p. 125] ...

[The] Facsimile of reformed Egyptian, as in the posesion of David
Whitmer [was] coppied byjoseph Smith from the Plates of the Book of Mor¬
mon and taken by Martin Harris to Professor Anthon [of] N.Y. the paper is 8
inches and 3/8th of an inch long and 3 infehes] & 3/8th infehes]. Width),]
and just 7 lines and on top above the 7 lines are [is the word] Charactors with
the [letter] h out 7 just as in my Coppy [.] [p. 126] at the end of each line will be
found my insersion in Brackets the No [number] of each line hence after that
is the beginning of each line 1 to 7[.] I felt as though it would be of Interest to

1. Emily E. (Williams) Stevenson, Edward Stevenson’s plural wife
whom he had married in 1857.

2. Probably Philander Page.

3. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HI1CAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

4. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

5. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

6. Stevenson traced the characters (see also V.E.2. BOOK OF MOR¬
MON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-FEB 1828).

7. In other words, the seven lines are preceded by the word “Caractors,”
absent the “h”.

186

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1887

Coppy [p. 126] them into my journal makeing this journal of interest
throuough [throughout]

David Bore his testimony of standing in the presence of the angle
relateing meny very interesting incidents which I have written to the
M[i]lenial Star in liverpool.f,] Logan Journalf,] Desferet] News[,] and Juve¬
nile Instructor and may be found [several lines blank]

David said to Mrs Sftevenson]. my testimony as found in the Book of
Mormon is verily true & I cannot deny it[.] I know[,] he said[,] that the Book
of Mormon is as true as the Bible, he relates seeing a messenger while plow¬
ing who said Blessed is the name of the Lord and they who keep his Com-
mandmentsf.] soon after Joseph Smith & O[liver]. Cowdry 8 came along[.]
David tied his team to the fense[.] the 3 were about 40 [p. 127] 40 rods from
his Fathersf.] while sitting on a log an Angle apeared in the midst of a bright¬
ness that preceded him[.] on a table in front of him was the Ball or Compas,
used by Lehi in the Wilderness[,] Sword of Laban[,] Urim & Thumim or In¬
terpreters [,] also the Plates which was shown to them and they were com¬
manded to bear testamony of these things & he said as he lived those things
[w]ere true[.] he fired up with zeal[.] he is 82 years old the 7th day of this
month, he said that 1st of June [1829] he received a letter from [Oliver
Cowdery telling him to come to Harmony, Pennsylvania.] the Prophet
looks into the seer stone [and is] told [the] names of each stopping place
[Whitmer visited along the way.] forgetting [the] names [himself,] on [the]
return [trip,] O[liver]. Cowdryf,] who [had] mad[e] notes for every one[,
showed them to be] just as the Prophet relatedf.] David said this strenthened
his Faith in the Prophet & he was Baptized [in the] the middle of June 1829
and [was] ordained an Elder [the] last ofjune the 3d Elder in the Church—on
their way from Palmyra 9 10 they saw a strange looking [p. 128] man, with a
knapsac on his back the strap crossing his breast[.] he came up alongside of
the wagon[.] David asked him to ride, no I am going over to Cumorah [he
said] & suddenly disappearedf.] by request of the Brethren Joseph asked the
Lord who this mysterious stranger was, who said it was one of the 3
Nephites. with the Plates. David said he had see[n] him after near his Father’s
house & that his mother also had see[n] him. & he had shown the plates to
her. on the 6th of April 1830, 6 Elders were at Peter Whitmers[,] f() Davids

8. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

9. Rather, from Harmony, Pennsylvania, to Fayette, New York (see
VI.A.27, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVEN¬
SON, 9 FEB 1886).

10. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

187

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Fathers [house, and] 2 Rooms were filled with members about 20 from
Colesville, 15 from Manchester Church and about 20 from aro[u]nd about
Father Whitmersf.] about 50 members 8c the 6 Elders were present[.] Elders
names are Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdryf,] David Whitmer, John Whit-
mer[,] n Peter Whitmer 12 8c Hyrum Smith, 13 8c he believes that Martin Har¬
ris was ordained at conference, [p. 129] We felt repaid for our walk and visit
which will make alasting impresion and he shook hands with God Bless you

[2. Letter to Franklin D. Richards, 10 January 1887]

Sanduskeyf,] Ohio

10th Jan. 1887

President F. D. Richards 14

Dear Brother [p. 106]

... I Called again on our old friend & Brother David Whitmer this being
my 3d visit with him. I Spent 3 or 4 [h]ours with him very Interestingly 8c he
again proudly Showed us the Manuscript of the Book of Mormon & also the
7 or 8 lines of Charactors taken from the plates of the Book of Mormon 8c
which were presented to Professor Anthon of N.Y. ... [p. 108] David
Whitmer says that the Josephites was displeased with him because he main¬
tained that the 116 pages which were translated 8c written by Martin Harris
was translated by the Urim 8c Thumin or Interpreters as he prefered calling
them, but after the loss of the 116 [p. 109] pages the remainder of the transla¬
tion was done with the seer stone, and that Martin wrote Some 8c it was at
this time when Martin when Martin put the wrong Stone in the hat deceiv¬
ing the Prophet who looked into the hat[, and this is] when he [Joseph] ex¬
claimed all is as dark as Egypt. Martin Said he done this to stop the mouths of
fools who said the Prophet knew [the text] by heart 8c would repeat [it]. Mar¬
tin Harris related more fully the same story when I brought him from
Kirtland[,] Ohio. 10 David Wfhitmer]. related an Incident that took place

11. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

12. On Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809-36), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 63.

13. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

14. On Franklin D. Richards (1821-99), a member of the Council of
Twelve Apostles (1849-99), see Jenson 1971, 1:115-121.

15. This occurred in August 1870 (see III.F.13, MARTIN HARRIS IN¬
TERVIEWS WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1870).

188

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1887

about the first of June 1829—the Prophet wrote to him to Come down to
Palmyra 16 Sc bring him up to Father Whitmers to translate See —on his arival
at Palmyra he said that the Prophet Joseph looked into the Seer Stone Sc told
each stoping place, Inn Sc Proprietor, [Whitmer] having forgotten their
names, [but] Ofliver]. Cowdry made a note of their names <Scc> [p. 110]
[and] on their n am es <return they discovered that the Prophet was> correct
at each of the 3 places, Sc he [Whitmer] said this strengthened his faith in the
Prophet Sc so[o]n after he was Baptized about the middle of June 1829, Sc was
ordained <he believes> the latter part of June as the 3d Elder. Joseph Sc Oli¬
ver haveing been ordained before they <came> from Palmyra N.Y. 17 Joseph
ordaining Oliver Sc then Oliver ordained Joseph, the Prophet, he seems to
know nothing about Peter, James &John, neither knows of eny history <of
this> kept by John Whitmer. he said that while comeing from Palmyra 18 an
aged looking man came along on foot with a knapsac on his back with the
strap crossed on his breast quite natural. David being the driver asked this
stranger to ride[,] who declinedf,] sayingf,] I am going over to Comorah Sc
[he] soon disapeared in an open field much to their suprise. The Brethren de¬
sired the Prophet to enquire of the Lord conserning this stranger, for he
[Whitmer] [p. Ill] said that they had peculiar feelings about their visitor. In a
short time David said he looked at Joseph & his Countenance was heavenly,
nearly white, Sc he said that their visitor was one of the 3 Nephites with the
plates in the knapsac Some time after their arival the same personage apeared
to David, & also to his Davids mother[,] Said that she had see[n] this same
discribed Sc distinguished personage Sc She further said that he showed her
the plates of the Record of the Book of Mormonf.] She giving a correct
discription of them, it was thought this was a favour to her because of her
kindness to the Prophet. 19 Brother David said that he was the 3d Elder or¬
dained John Whitmer 4th Peter Whitmer 5th Sc Hyrum Smith 6th[.] Those
6 Elders were present at the organization of the church at Father Whitmers as
well as others who had joined the Church, at Colesville about 20 members
were thare Sc about 15 at Manchester 20 around about Whitmers, at the or¬
ganization thare were nearly 2 rooms full about 45 to 50[,] [p. 112] David
said he thought were presentf,] Sc he believed that Martin Harris was or¬
dained at that Conference[.] But he distinctly said thare were but 6 Elders

16. See n. 9 above.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Concerning Mary Musselman Whitmer’s experience, see also VI. C.4,
JOHN C. WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW JENSON AND
EDWARD STEVENSON, 11 OCT 1888.

189

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

met at the Conference, but those mostly who had been baptized as members
were at the organization, as usual David Whitmer was animated in his
testamony especially on the subject of the vision. He says it was about 40 rods
from Father Whitmers whare he saw the Angle & was charged to bear his
testamony of the same, his health is 50 Per. c[en]t. better than last year. E. S.
... [p. 113]

[3. Reminiscence, 1887]

I recently had great pleasure in visiting and conversing with David
Whitmer, the only surviving witness of the three whose names are prefixed
to the Book of Mormon, testifying that an angel came down from heaven
and laid the plates before their eyes, and they were commanded to bear wit¬
ness of the truth of what they saw and knew to be correct. Though now very
aged, his testimony is still undimmed, and his countenance always brightens
in speaking of this most memorable event in his history. Already I had visited
this witness on two previous occasions, and in neither of my visits did I find
his demeanor, belief or assertions changed concerning this important matter.

On the 2nd day of this year I left Kansas City, Mo., and rode forty-two
miles on the cars to Lexington Junction, where I unfortunately failed to
make train connection to go five miles further to Richmond, Ray Co., the
home of him I sought. But, determined not to be baffled, I decided to walk
the distance, though the cold was intense, the thermometer going to 17° be¬
low zero. I subsequently felt repaid for my pains in the pleasant reception and
agreeable conversation with Mr. Whitmer.

He wore a black suit of clothes and dark close-fitting cap on his head.
He appeared very noble to me, and his face seemed to beam with intelli¬
gence.

He told me that in the beginning of June, 1829, he received a letter
from the Prophet asking him to come to Palmyra 20 and convey him to his fa¬
ther’s house, that he might there be able to work on the translation of the
Book of Mormon. The journey required about three days each way, and it
was necessary to put up at inns on the way. David having forgotten the names
of the inns and their proprietors, Joseph looked through the seer stone and
told him them. Oliver Cowdery made a note of these, and by inquiry on the
journey found that the Prophet had stated correctly.

Soon after arriving at his father’s, David was baptized in Seneca Lake.
This was about the middle ofjune, and shortly thereafter he was ordained an

20. Ibid.

190

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 1887

Elder, he being the third in the Church, as he claims, to receive this ordina¬
tion.

While on the return journey from Palmyra, David noticed a somewhat
aged-looking man who approached them on the road. He had a very pleasant
face, about which, however, there seemed something pecuilar [peculiar],
and he carried a knapsack on his back fastened with straps which crossed his
breast. David asked him to take a ride, but he declined, saying: “I am going
over to Cumorah,” and then disappeared very suddenly, though there was
no chance for him to secrete himself in the open country through which the
party was then passing. All felt very strange concerning this personage and
the Prophet was besought to inquire of the Lord concerning him. Shortly af¬
terwards, David relates, the Prophet looked very white but with a heavenly
appearance and said their visitor was one of the three Nephites to whom the
Savior gave the promise of life on earth until He should come in power. After
arriving home, David again saw this personage, and Mother Whitmer, who
was very kind to Joseph Smith, is said to have seen not only this Nephite, but
to have also been shown by him the sealed and unsealed portions of the plates
from which the Book of Mormon was translated.

[4. Reminiscence, 1889 ]

It is well known that three witnesses as well as Joseph Smith, testify of
seeing an angel and hearing his voice, also of seeing the plates containing the
characters from which the Book of Mormon was printed.

There are eight witnesses who also testify of seeing and handling the
gold plates. Twelve witnesses including Joseph Smith. The thirteenth wit¬
ness is Mary Musselman Whitmer, 21 the wife of Peter Whitmer, sen., and
mother of five of the witnesses. In 1887, we had the pleasure of visiting Un¬
cle David Whitmer, as he is so familiarly known, and at other times since we
have visited him, and held many familiar conversations with him on the sub¬
ject of the coming forth of the plates, the translation of them, and the visit of
an angel, which never failed to inspire him with enthusiastic delight. On one
occasion while sitting with Uncle David by the fireside, he said: “My mother
died while sitting in that very chair you are now occupying.” He feelingly
spoke of the virtues and good acts of his mother, and her kindness to Joseph
Smith, the Prophet, and his party, while they were translating the Book of
Mormon at his father’s house in Fayette, Seneca County, New York.

While in this mood of conversation he related to me, a visit of the angel

21. On Mary Musselman Whitmer (1778-1856), see I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 101.

191

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Moroni to his mother. Uncle David said: “My mother went to the barn to
milk the cows, where she met a mysterious personage who showed her the
golden plates, turning them over leaf by leaf, with the exception of a portion
of them which were fastened together with rings [”] (the sealed part of the
plates).

David said this occurred after he had seen the same messenger on the
way from Harmony to Fayette. When he brought Joseph and Oliver in his
wagon from Harmony, Pa., he [the messenger] appeared walking with a
knapsack on his back with the straps crossed on his breast. Uncle David asked
him to ride with them, to which he replied, “No, I am going over to
Cumorah,” and suddenly disappeared in the midst of a plain.

David said that they felt a very strange feeling come over them, and Jo¬
seph, the Prophet, inquired of the Lord concerning it, and then said to the
brethren that the mysterious stranger was Moroni with the plates of gold. 22 It
will be remembered that Joseph, the Prophet, was beset with a wicked class
of men who sought to steal the plates from him, so much so that his life was in
danger; therefore he sought to know of the Lord the best mode of transfer¬
ring the plates from Harmony to Fayette. They were finally taken in charge
by the angel to deliver them to the [p. 22] Prophet again at the end of their
journey. David told me that they felt the same heavenly influence after their
arrival at his father’s home previous to his mother’s visitation and view of the
plates. He expressed his firm conviction of the truth of his mother’s testi¬
mony.

22. Previous versions of the story, including Stevenson’s journal entry of2
January 1887, designate the angel as one of the Three Nephites.

192

32.

David Whitmer to Anthony Metcalf,
2 April 1887

Afnthony]. Metcalf, Ten Years before the Mast ([Malad City, Idaho]: n.p.
[1888]), 73-74.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Anthony Metcalf, age forty, is listed in the 1870 census of Hyde Park,
Cache County, Utah, as a farmer. In a letter to Metcalf, dated 2 April 1887, a
portion of which Metcalf published the following year. David Whitmer de¬
fended his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Metcalf introduced the letter
as follows:

In March, 1887,1 wrote a letter to David Whitmer, requesting him to ex¬
plain to me the condition he was in when he saw the angel and the plates,
from which the Book of Mormon is supposed to have been translated. In
April, 1887,1 received a letter from David Whitmer, dated on the second
of that month, replying to my communication, from which I copy, verba¬
tim, as follows. ...

In regards to my testimony to the visitation of the angel, who declared
to us three witnesses that the Book of [p. 73] Mormon is true, I have this to
say: Of course we were in the spirit when we had the view, for no man can
behold the face of an angel, except in a spiritual view, but we were in the
body also, and everything was as natural to us, as it is at any time. Martin Har¬
ris, you say, called it “being in vision.” We read in the Scriptures, Cornelius
saw, in a vision, an angel of God, Daniel saw an angel in a vision, also in other
places it states they saw an angel in the spirit. A bright light enveloped us
where we were, that filled [the woods as] at noon day, and there in a vision or
in the spirit, we saw and heard just as it is stated in my testimony in the Book
of Mormon. I am now passed eighty-two years old, and I have a brother, J. J.
Snyder, 1 to do my writing for me, at my dictation.

[Signed] DAVID WHITMER.

1. John J. Snyder was a close associate in Whitmer’s Church of Christ
(Shields 1982, 102-3).

193

33.

David Whitmer, Address, 1887

David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ (Richmond, Missouri:
David Whitmer, 1887), 8, 10-12, 29-35, 37-38, 41, 49-51, 55-56, 64, 73,
75.

EDITORIAL NOTE

In April 1887, one year before his death, the eighty-two-year-old Da¬
vid Whitmer published a 75-page pamphlet, An Address to All Believers in
Christ, in which he declared his testimony of the Book of Mormon and ex¬
plained his reasons for resigning fromjoseph Smith’s church in 1838. Histo¬
rian Lyndon W. Cook describes Whitmer’s Address as “a humble appeal to
bring believing Christians to Mormonism and to unite the scattered believers
of the original faith. It is poorly organized and sentimentalized—not so much
a detailed record as almost obsessive ruminations of a few themes—but it
does sum up both Whitmer’s views and his nature. It confirms the details of
his participation in the Restoration as he perceived them, but it is a sweeping
rejection ofjoseph Smith and the church after 1834” (Cook 1991, xxiv).

Whitmer not only challenged the popular Mormon interpretations of
past events, he also posed a dilemma for those who looked to Whitmer’s tes¬
timony as proof for the Book of Mormon’s divine authenticity. Whitmer
challenged believers: “If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon;
if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I
tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the
heavens, and told me to ‘separate myself from among the Latter Day Saints
...’” (p. 27). However, Whitmer’s challenge had little effect on Mormons.
When Whitmer explained that Joseph Smith had fallen and that his revela¬
tions were inspired by the wishes of his own heart (pp. 30-38, 64-67), he per¬
haps unwittingly invited his readers to make the same conclusion about his
own 1838 revelation.

For the most part, I have deleted Whitmer’s long theological diatribes.
The reader should keep in mind that Whitmer is not simply relating early
Mormon history but is marshaling historical evidence polemically in an ef¬
fort to support his theological positions. Hence, his reminiscences are subject
to some minor distortion and should be read with caution. 1

1. Whitmer’s Address consists of twelve chapters; these chapter numbers
and headings have been omitted from this reproduction.

194

ADDRESS, 1887

... It is recorded in the American Cyclopaedia and the Encyclopaedia
Britannica, that I, David Whitmer, have denied my testimony as one of the
three witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon; and that the other
two witnesses, Oliver Cowdery 2 and Martin Harris, 3 denied their testimony
to that Book. I will say once more to all mankind, that I have never at any
time denied that testimony or any part thereof. I also testify to the world, that
neither Oliver Cowdery or Martin Harris ever at any time denied their testi¬
mony. They both died reaffirming the truth of the divine authenticity of the
Book of Mormon. I was present at the death bed of Oliver Cowdery, and his
last words were, “Brother David , be true to your testimony to the Book of Mor¬
mon .” He died here in Richmond, Mo., on March 3d, 1850. Many witnesses
yet live in Richmond, who will testify to the truth of these facts, as well as to
the good character of Oliver Cowdery. The very powers of darkness have
combined against the Book of Mormon, to prove that it is not the word of
God, and this should go to prove to men of spiritual understanding, that the
Book is true. To show the reader what I have had to contend with, I give you
below a copy of a leaflet which I had printed and distributed in March, 1881.
... [p.S]... 4

Besides other false statements that are in the two encyclopaedias above
mentioned is the old story of the Spaulding manuscript. That is, that one Sol¬
omon Spaulding who died in Amity, Penn., in 1816, had written a romance,
the scene of which was among the ancient Indians who lived in this country.
That Spaulding died before he published his romance, and that Sydney
Rigdon 5 got hold of the manuscript in a printing office and copied it; that
subsequently the manuscript was returned to Solomon Spaulding; that thir¬
teen years after the death of Spaulding, in 1829, Rigdon became associated
with Joseph Smith, who read the Spaulding manuscript from behind a blan¬
ket to Oliver Cowdery, his amanuensis, who wrote it down. Hence the ori¬
gin of the Book of Mormon. 6 This is what is claimed by the enemies of the
book: Satan had to concoct some plan to account for the origin of that book.

2. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

3. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

4. Whitmer’s Proclamation deleted here (see VI.A. 11, DAVID WHIT¬
MER PROCLAMATION, 19 MAR 1881).

5. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

6. For a discussion of the Spaulding theory of the Book ofMormon’s ori¬
gin, see Bush 1977.

195

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

I will say that all who desire to investigate the Spaulding manuscript story will
not be obliged to go very far before they will see the entire [p. 10] falsity of
that claim. I testify to the world that I am an eye-witness to the translation of
the greater part of the Book of Mormon. Part of it was translated in my fa¬
ther’s house in Fayette, Seneca County, N.Y. Farther on I give a description
of the manner in which the book was translated.

... Neither Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris or myself
ever met Sydney Rigdon until after the Book of Mormon was in print. I
know this of my own personal knowledge, being with Joseph Smith, in Sen¬
eca County, N.Y., in the winter of 1830, when Sydney Rigdon and Edward
Partridge 7 came from Kirtland, Ohio, to see Joseph Smith, and where
Rigdon and Partridge saw Joseph Smith for the first time in their lives. 8

The Spaulding manuscript story is a myth; there being no direct testi¬
mony on record in regard to Rigdon’s connection with the manuscript of
Solomon Spaulding.

I have in my possession the original manuscript of the Book of Mor¬
mon, in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery and others, also the original pa¬
per containing some of the characters transcribed from one of the golden
plates, which paper Martin Harris took to Professor Anthon, 9 of New York,
for him to read “the words of a book that is sealed [Isa. 29:11]:” but the learned
professor, although a great linguist could not read the language of the
Nephites. 10 ... [p. 11] ...

I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of
Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat,
and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the
light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of some¬
thing resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writ¬
ing. 11 One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpreta¬
tion in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver
Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and
repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear,

7. On Edward Partridge (1793-1840), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 193.

8. Cf. I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 78-80.

9. On Charles Anthon (1797-1867), see introduction to V.D.l,
CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1834.

10. Concerning Anthon’s inability to read the characters, see “Introduc¬
tion to Martin Harris Collection.”

11. For another source on the appearance of parchment in the stone, see
I.A.12, TRUMAN COE ACCOUNT, 1836.

196

ADDRESS, 1887

and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book
of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any
power of man. ... [p. 12]

... The angel who declared unto us that the Book of Mormon was true,
also declared unto us that the Bible was true. ... [p. 29] ...

In June 1829, the translation of the Book of Mormon was finished.
God gave it to us as his Holy Word, and left us as men to work out our own
salvation and set in order the Church of Christ according to the written
word. He left us as men to receive of His Spirit as we walked worthy to re¬
ceive it; and His Spirit guides men into all truth; but the spirit of man guides
man into error. When God had given us the Book of Mormon, and a few
revelations in 1829 by the same means that the Book was translated, com¬
manding us to rely upon the written word in establishing the church [D&C
18:3-4], He did His part; and left us to do our part and to be guided by the
Holy Ghost as we walked worthy to receive. ...

In the beginning we walked humble and worthy to receive a great por¬
tion of the Spirit of God, and we were guided rightly at first in establishing
the Church, but we soon began to drift into errors, because we heeded our
own desires too much, instead of relying solely upon God and being led en¬
tirely by His Holy Spirit. How easy it is for a man to drift into errors, and
think at the time that he is doing God’s will. ...

At times when Brother Joseph would attempt to translate, [and] he
would look into the hat in which the stone was placed, he found he was spiri¬
tually blind and could not translate. He told us that his mind dwelt too much
on earthly things, and various causes would make him incapable of proceed¬
ing with the translation. When in this condition he would go out and pray,
and when he became sufficiently humble before God, he could then proceed
with the translation. Now we see how very strict the Lord is; and how he re¬
quires the heart of man to be just right in His sight, before he can receive rev¬
elation from him.

When the Book of Mormon was in the hands of the printer, more
money was needed to finish the printing of it. We were waiting on Martin
Harris who was doing his best to sell a part of his farm, in order to raise the
necessary funds. 12 After a time Hyrum Smith 13 and others began to get impa-

12. John H. Gilbert denied Whitmer’s statement that the printing of the
Book of Mormon had to be delayed for financial reasons (see III.H.9, JOHN H.
GILBERT INTERVIEW, SEP 1888). Harris mortgaged his farm before the
printing commenced, therefore the publisher had little reason to worry (III.L.14,
MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25 AUG 1829).

13. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

197

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

tient, thinking that Martin Harris was too slow and under transgression for
not selling his land at once, even if at a great sacrifice. Brother Hyrum
thought they should not wait any longer on Martin Harris, and that the
money should be raised in some other way. Brother [p. 30] Hyrum was
vexed with Brother Martin, and thought they should get the money by some
means outside of him, and not let him have anything to do with the publica¬
tion of the Book, or receiving any of the profits thereof if any profits should
accrue. He was wrong in thus judging Bro: Martin, because he was doing all
he could toward selling his land. Brother Hyrum said it had been suggested to
him that some of the brethren might go to Toronto, Canada, and sell the
copy-right of the Book of Mormon for considerable money: and he per¬
suaded Joseph to inquire of the Lord about it. Joseph concluded to do so. He
had not yet given up the stone. Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed
the stone, and received a revelation that some of the brethren should go to
Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copy-right of the Book of
Mormon. Hiram page [Page] u and Oliver Cowdery went to Toronto on
this mission, but they failed entirely to sell the copy-right, returning without
any money. Joseph was at my father’s house when they returned. I was there
also, and am an eye witness to these facts. Jacob Whitmer lD and John
Whitmer 16 were also present when Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery re¬
turned from Canada. Well, we were all in great trouble; and we askedjoseph
how it was that he had received a revelation from the Lord for some brethren
to go to Toronto and sell the copy-right, and the brethren had utterly failed
in their undertaking. Joseph did not know how it was, so he enquired of the
Lord about it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone:
“Seme revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of
the devil” 11 So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the
copy-right was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man. When
a man enquires of the Lord concerning a matter, if he is deceived by his own
carnal desires, and is in error, he will receive an answer according to his er¬
ring heart, but it will not be a revelation from the Lord. This was a lesson for
our benefit and we should have profited by it in future more than we did.
Without much explanation you can see the error of Hyrum Smith in think-

14. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

15. On Jacob Whitmer (1800-56), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 98.

16. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

17. Cf. D&C47:7.

198

ADDRESS, 1887

ing evil of Martin Harris without a cause, and desiring to leave him out in the
publication of the Book; and also the error of Brother Joseph in listening to
the persuasions of men and enquiring of the Lord to see if they might not go
to Toronto to sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon, when it was made
known to Brother Joseph that the will of the Lord was to have Martin Harris
raise the money. 18

... I will say here, that I could tell you other false revelations that came
through Brother Joseph as mouthpiece, (not through the stone) but this will
suffice. Many of Brother Joseph’s revelations were never printed. The reve¬
lation to go to Canada was written down on paper, but was never printed. 19
When Brother Joseph was humble he had the Spirit of God with him, but
when he was not humble he did [p. 31] not have the Spirit. Brother Joseph
gave many true prophecies when he was humble before God: but this is no
more than many of the other brethren did. Brother Joseph’s true prophecies
were almost all published, but those of the other brethren were not. I could
give you the names of many who gave great prophecies which came to pass. I
will name a few: Brothers Ziba Peterson, 20 Hiram Page, Oliver Cowdery,
Parley P. Pratt, 21 Orson Pratt, 22 Peter Whitmer, 23 Christian Whitmer, 24 John
Whitmer, myself and many others had the gift of prophesy. ...

After the translation of the Book of Mormon was finished, early in the
spring of 1830, before April 6th, Joseph gave the stone to Oliver Cowdery

18. Whitmer related the circumstances of the so-called “Canadian Reve¬
lation” in VI.A.29, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA
HERALD, 10 OCT 1886. Hiram Page, one of those who went to Canada, cor¬
rects Whitmer in reporting that the party went to Kingston rather than Toronto
(see VI.C.2, HIRAM PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 2 FEB 1848;
VI.F.10, WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH, III, JUL & SEP
1872; and F.12,J. L. TRAUGHBERTO [JAMES T. COBB?], CIRCA 1881).

19. William E. McLellin reported to Joseph Smith III: “I have seen and
read a copy of it, so that I know it existed” (VI.F.10, WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN
TO JOSEPH SMITH III, JUL & SEP 1872, 1).

20. On Richard Ziba Peterson (?-1849), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 105.

21. On Parley Parker Pratt (1807-57), see introduction to III.K.16, PAR¬
LEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY (PART I), CIRCA 1854.

22. On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

23. On Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809-36), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 63.

24. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

199

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

and told me as well as the rest that he was through with it, and he did not use
the stone more. 2 He said he was through [with] the work that God had
given him the gift to perform, except to preach the gospel. He told us that we
would all have to depend on the Holy Ghost hereafter to be guided into truth
and obtain the will of the Lord. The revelations after this came through Jo¬
seph as “mouth piece;” that is, he would enquire of the Lord, pray and ask
concerning a matter, and speak out the revelation, which he thought to be a
revelation from the Lord; but sometimes he was mistaken about it being the
word of the Lord. As we have seen, some revelations are of God and some are
not. In this manner, through Brother Joseph as “mouth piece” came every
revelation to establish new doctrines and offices which disagree with the
New Covenant in the Book of Mormon and New Testament! I would have
you to remember this fact.

In June, 1829, the Lord called Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and
myself as the three witnesses, to behold the vision of the Angel, as recorded in
the fore part of the Book ofMormon, and to bear testimony to the world that
the Book ofMormon is true. I was not called to bear testimony to the mission
of Brother Joseph Smith any farther than his work of translating the Book of
Mormon, as you can see by reading the testimony of us three witnesses.

In this month [June 1829] I was baptized, confirmed, and ordained an
Elder in the Church of Christ by Bro. Joseph Smith. 26 Previous to this, Jo¬
seph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had baptized, confirmed and ordained each
other to the office of an Elder in the Church of Christ. I was the third person
baptized into the church. In August, 1829, we began to preach the gospel of
Christ. The following six Elders had then been ordained: Joseph Smith, Oli¬
ver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer, Samuel H. Smith, 27 Hyrum Smith and my-
self. 28 The Book of Mormon was still in the hands of the printer, but my

25. E. D. Howe reported: “He [Smith] abandoned his spectacles, or £ peep
stone,’ and merely delivered it with his eyes shut” (Howe 1834, 102). Smith’s
brown seer stone was kept by Cowdery until his death in 1850, then taken to Salt
Lake City by Phineas Young. It is presently in the First Presidency’s vault (see
Quinn 1987, 195-97). However, there is evidence that Smith afterwards occa¬
sionally used another seer stone (see Quinn, 197-99).

26. Smith’s history mentions Whitmer’s baptism in June 1829 but not his
ordination (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 23). Some have inter¬
preted Whitmer’s apostolic calling, mentioned in a revelation received in June
1829 [D&C 18], as a possible indication of his ordination to the eldership (Cook
1981,24).

27. On Samuel Harrison Smith (1808-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 13.

28. Whitmer’s attempt to name the first elders in the church should not be

200

ADDRESS, 1887

brother, Christian Whitmer, had copied from the manuscript the teachings
and doctrine of Christ, being the things which we were commanded to
preach. We preached paptized [baptized] and confirmed members into the
Church of Christ, from August, 1829, until April 6th, 1830, being eight
months in which time we had proceeded rightly; the offices in the church be¬
ing Elders, Priests and Teachers, [p. 32]

Now, when April 6, 1830, had come, we had then established three
branches of the “Church of Christ,” in which three branches were about
seventy members: One branch was at Fayette, N.Y.; one at Manchester,
N.Y., and one at Colesville, Pa [New York]. It is all a mistake about the
church being organized on April 6,1830, as I will show. We were as fully orga¬
nized —spiritually—before April 6th as we were on that day. The reason why
we met on that day was this; the world had been telling us that we were not a
regularly organized church, and we had no right to officiate in the ordinance
of marriage, hold church property, etc., and that we should organize accord¬
ing to the laws of the land. On this account we met at my father’s house in
Fayette, N.Y., on April 6, 1830, to attend to this matter of organizing ac¬
cording to the laws of the land; you can see this from Sec. 17 Doctrine and
Covenants: the church was organized on April 6th “ agreeable to the laws of our
country [D&C 20:1].”

It says after this, “fcy the will and commandments of God” but this revela¬
tion came through Bro. Joseph as “mouthpiece.” Now brethren, how can it
be that the church was any more organized—spiritually—on April 6th, 29
than it was before that time? There were six elders and about seventy mem¬
bers before April 6th, and the same number of elders and members after that
day. We attended to our business of organizing, according to the laws of the
land, the church acknowledging us six elders as their ministers; besides, a few
who had recently been baptized and not confirmed were confirmed on that
day; some blessings were pronounced, and we partook of the Lord’s supper.

confused with the six founding members. However, he errs in any case since
Samuel Smith was not ordained an elder until 9 June 1830 (see discussion in in¬
troduction to IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11 AUG
1862).

29. Smith’s history has six members in the church on 6 April 1830 (I.A.15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 37). There were twenty-seven members
on 9 June 1830 and sixty-two on 26 September 1830 (VI.G.2, FAR WEST RE¬
CORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2 JAN 1831, under 26 September 1830).
Whitmer seems to describe a later meeting than the church’s organization (see
discussion in I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82; and introduc¬
tion to IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11 AUG 1862).

201

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

I do not consider that the church was any more organized or established
in the eyes of God on that day than it was previous to that day. I consider that
on that day the first error was introduced into the Church of Christ, and that
error was Brother Joseph being ordained as “Prophet Seer and Revelator” to
the church.

The Holy Ghost was with us in more power during the eight months
previous to April 6, 1830, than ever at any time thereafter. Almost everyone
who was baptized received the Holy Ghost in power, some prophesying,
some speaking in tongues, the heavens were opened to some, and all the signs
which Christ promised should follow the believers were with us abundantly.
We were an humble happy people, and loved each other as brethren should
love.

Just before April 6, 1830, some of the brethren began to think that the
church should have a leader, just like the children of Israel wanting a king.
Brother Joseph finally inquired of the Lord about it. He must have had a de¬
sire himself to be their leader, which desire in any form is not of God, for
Christ said “If any man desire to befirst, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all
[Mk. 9: 35].” “He that would be great, let him be your servant [cf. Mk. 10:43].”
“For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great [Lk. 9:48].” A true and
humble follower of Christ will never have any desire to lead or be first, or to
seek the praise of men or brethren. Desiring any prominence whatever is not
humility, but it is pride; it is seeking praise of mortals instead of the praise of
God. Joseph received a revelation that he should be the leader; that he should
be ordained by Oliver Cowdery as “Prophet Seer and Revelator” to the
church, and that the church should receive his words as if from God’s own
mouth [D&C 21:1-5]. Satan surely rejoiced on that day, for he then saw that
in [p. 33] time he could overthrow them. Remember, “Some revelations are of
God; some revelations are of man, and some revelations are of the devil ” God al¬
lowed them to be answered according to their erring desires. They were like
the children of Israel wanting a king, and God gave them a king, but it was to
their final destruction. He gave the church a leader, but it proved their de¬
struction and final landing of the majority of them in the Salt Lake valley in
polygamy, believing that their leader had received a revelation from God to
practice this abomination. This was the first error that crept into the church.
None of us detected it then. We had all confidence in Brother Joseph, think¬
ing that as God had given him so great a gift as to translate the Book of Mor¬
mon, that everything he would do must be right. That is what I thought
about it. You see how we trusted too much in man instead of going to Godin
humility, and to his written word, to see if we were proceeding rightly. It
grieves me much to think that I was not more careful, and did not rely upon
the teachings of Christ in the written word. But we were then young in

202

ADDRESS, 1887

years, and all of us were mere babes in Christ. Brother Joseph and myself
were only twenty-five years of age.

Although Brother Joseph was in this high office, he was humble most
of the time, and he and all of us had the Spirit with us when we were humble,
but as I have stated we did not have the Spirit with us in power as a body after
this, as we did before April 6, 1830. After Sydney Rigdon came into the
church—or in the spring of 1831—we began to make proselytes faster; but
great numbers coming into the church does not always signify great spiritual
prosperity. The people made light of the church in Noah’s time, there was
only eight members in it, but it proved to be the true church.

I want the brethren to understand me concerning this error of ordain¬
ing Brother Joseph to that office on April 6, 1830. Not at all do I mean to say
that I believe the church was then rejected of God. What occur[r]ed on that
day was this: One of the elders of the church (Joseph) was led into a grievous
error; and the members acquiesced in it. In time it proved to be a most griev¬
ous error, being the cause of the trouble which afterwards befelfl] the people
of God. They put their trust in Brother Joseph and received his revelations as
if from God’s own mouth. (Jer. xvii:5) “ Thus saith the Lord: cursed be the man
that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm; and whose heart departeth from the
Lord” This has been the great curse of the work of God in these last days.
Nearly all of the church have continued to heed the words of men as if from
God’s own mouth—following man into one error in doctrine after an¬
other—from year to year—even on down into the doctrine of poly gamy. ...
[p. 34]

The next grievous error which crept into the church was in ordaining
high priests in June, 1831. This error was introduced at the instigation of
Sydney Rigdon. The office of high priests was never spoken of, and never
thought of being established in the church until Rigdon came in. Remember
that we had been preaching from August, 1829, until June, 1831—almost
two years—and had baptized about 2,000 members into the Church of
Christ, and had not one high priest. During 1829, several times we were told
by Brother Joseph that an elder was the highest office in the church. In De¬
cember, 1830, Sydney Rigdon and Edward Partridge came from Kirtland,
Ohio, to Fayette, N.Y., to see Brother Joseph, and in the latter part of the
winter they returned to Kirtland. In February, 1831, Brother Joseph came to
Kirtland where Rigdon was. Rigdon was a thorough Bible scholar, a man of
fine education, and a powerful orator. He soon worked himself deep into
Brother Joseph’s affections, and had more influence over him than any other
man living. He was Brother Joseph’s private counsellor, and his most inti¬
mate friend and brother for some time after they met. Brother Joseph re¬
joiced, believing that the Lord had sent to him this great and mighty man

203

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Sydney Rigdon, to help him in the work. Poor Brother Joseph! He was mis¬
taken about this, and likewise all of the brethren were mistaken; for we
thought at that time just as Brother Joseph did about it. But alas! in a few years
we found out different. Sydney Rigdon was the cause of almost all the errors
which were introduced while he was in the church. ... In Kirtland, Ohio, in
1831, Rigdon would expound the Old Testament scriptures of the Bible and
Book of Mormon (in his way) to Joseph, concerning the priesthood, high
priests, etc., and would persuade Brother Joseph to inquire of the Lord about
this doctrine and that doctrine, and of course a revelation would always come
just as they desired it. Rigdon finally persuaded Brother Joseph to believe
that the high priests which had such great power in ancient times, should be
in the Church of Christ to-day. He had Brother Joseph inquire of the Lord
about it, and they received an answer according to their erring desires. 30 Re¬
member that this revelation came like the one to ordain Brother Joseph
“Prophet Seer and Revelator” to the church—through Brother Joseph as
mouthpiece, and not through the stone. Remember also that “some revela¬
tions are of God; some revelations are of man; and some revelations are of the devil. ”...
[p. 35] ...

Now you have thought that because Brother Joseph was given a gift to
translate the Book, that he could not fall into error; and you worship and give
credit to the man, when all the credit is due to God. You should think of this
matter. Brother Joseph did not write a word of the Book of Mormon; it was
already written by holy men of God who dwelt upon this land. God gave to
Brother Joseph the gift to see the sentences in English, when he looked into
the hat in which was placed the stone. Oliver Cowdery had the same gift at
one time [D&C 8 and 9]. Now when we look at it aright, the fact of Brother
Joseph having the gift to translate the Book, is that any reason why you
should put any more trust in him than any other man? Not at all. Is that any
reason why he should be a man who could not fall? Not at all. As you see
from what the Lord told him, he was a very weak man, and liable to fall even
while translating the Book. “How oft have you transgressed the commandments
and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men [D&C 3:6]. * * * If
thou art not aware thou wilt fall [D&C 3:9]. * * * Thou hast suffered the counsel of
thy Director to be trampled upon from the beginning [D&C 3:11]. * * * Thou wilt
again be called to the work; and except thou do this (repent) thou shalt be delivered up
and become as other men y and have no more gift [D&C 3:11].” (To translate.) I
give you my testimony that the Lord had to chastise Brother Joseph time and

30. Whitmer was probably referring to D&C 84, which describes two or¬
ders of priesthood in the church.

204

ADDRESS, 1887

again, as a father would a disobedient child, to help him through the transla¬
tion of the Book. God knows that I do not mean to persecute Brother Jo¬
seph. As I have said, I loved him. I am not crying him down or preaching
self-righteousness, but I desire to get you to comprehend the sin of trusting in
an arm of flesh, by receiving Brother [p. 37] Joseph’s revelations as if they
were from God’s own mouth, when some of his revelations conflict with the
teachings of Christ in the two sacred books. I tell you brethren, you are trust¬
ing in an arm offlesh and being in blindness you cannotseeit.... [p. 38] ...

Now brethren of the Reorganization, you must accept this revelation
on polygamy, or else you must lay aside the book of Doctrine and Covenants;
for the commandment is, His word ye shall receive as if from God’s own
mouth. Words would not come from God to practice polygamy, and after his
people had practiced it for some time, then the word come that the revelation
was of the Devil, and to repent of it. So we see that the commandment to re¬
ceive Brother Joseph’s words as if from God’s own month [mouth] was false.
Now, this commandment is in the revelation given April 6, 1830, the revela¬
tion for Brother Joseph to be ordained Seer to the Church [D&C 21:1].
Now, can you not see that this revelation for Brother Joseph to be ordained
Seer to the Church was false? Of course it was. There is no doubt about it.
“Some revelations are of God; some revelations are of man; and some revela¬
tions are of the Devil.” This is what God gave us through the stone in 1829 as
I have before stated, for a warning to us all. The revelation given through
Brother Joseph as mouthpiece on April 6, 1830, that he should be ordained
Seer to the Church, after God had commanded him that He would grant him
no other gift but to translate the Book of Mormon, I give you my testimony
brethren that this revelation is not of God. ... [p. 41] ...

In June, 1829, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and myself, received this
commandment through the stone, “Behold, I give unto you a command¬
ment, that you rely upon the things which are written (then, at that time,
June, 1829), for in them are all things written concerning my church, my
gospel, and my rock [D&C 18:3-4].” This revelation reads this way to-day in
the old Book of Commandments. But the Latter Day saints changed it in
1834 to read different in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. The revela¬
tions received through the stone in 1829, agree with the teachings of Christ
in the Bible and Book of Mormon; but in order to support the errors which
were afterwards introduced by men, some of the early revelations have been
changed and added to, as I will show you in another chapter. In order to up¬
hold these errors, your leaders claim that as the Book of Mormon is an
abridgement of the Nephite records, containing only a small part of the
things which Christ said and did, that it does not contain all the doctrines,
laws, ordinances and offices which Christ meant to be in the church; there-

205

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

fore Brother Joseph’s revelations are needed to establish other doctrines,
laws, ordinances and offices that Christ left out of the Book of Mormon and
the Bible, and out of the revelations when God first gave them in 1829. Oh
the weakness and folly of man! How any person can be so blind in the face of
all this evidence, as to still uphold the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, is
more than I can understand. But there are none so blind as those who will not
see.

You have changed the revelations from the way they were first given
and as they are to-day in the Book of Commandments, to support the error
of Brother Joseph in taking upon himself the office of Seer to the church.
You have changed the revelations to support the error of high priests. 31 You
have changed the revelations to support the error of a President of the high
priesthood, high counselors, etc. 32 You have altered the revelations to sup¬
port you in going beyond the plain teachings of Christ in the new covenant
part of the Book of Mormon. You have changed and altered the revelations
to support the error of publishing those revelations in a book: the errors you
are in, revelations have been changed to support and uphold them. You who
are now living did not change them, but you who strive to defend these
things, are as guilty in the sight of God as those who did change them. ... [p.
49]

... Concerning the spiritual offices in the church, Elders, Priests and
Teachers, with their duties as given in the Book of Mormon, they comprise
the officers who are qualified to act in all spiritual matters, and there is no
need of any more spiritual offices than these in the church, as we can plainly
see from the scriptures. ...

The twelve at Jerusalem are called in the written word “Apostles.”
They are apostles because they were special witnesses to the sufferings [p. 50]
of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection: but the twelve which Christ
chose on this land are called disciples or elders, and are not once called apos¬
tles in the Book of Mormon. In the revelation which came through the stone
in June, 1829, to Oliver Cowdery and myself to search out the twelve [D&C
18], they are also called disciples, and not apostles; and the revelation says

31. The office of high priest was developed after June 1831, but references
to the duties of high priests were added to a revelation dated June 1830 (cf. Book
of Commandments 24:44-45//D&C 20:65-67).

32. The office ofpresident of the high priesthood was first revealed in No¬
vember 1831 (D&C 107:59, 65-69; see also Vogel 1988, 113-14; Cook 1981,
215-16, 326, n. 1). References to “president of the high priesthood” and “high
councilor [s]” were added to a June 1830 revelation (cf. Book of commandments
24:44-45//D&C 20:65-67).

206

ADDRESS, 1887

“disciples” in the Book of Commandments to-day. But it has been changed
in the Doctrine and Covenants to read “apostles.” The heading to this reve¬
lation in the Book of Commandments says: “Making known the calling of
twelve ‘Disciples 5 in these last days.” In the Doctrine and Covenants it reads:
“Making known the calling “of twelve ‘Apostles’ in these last days.” ... [p.
51] ...

Now, brethren, I will ask you to read the early revelations that were
given through the stone, up to June, 1829, and see if this matter is not just as I
have told you; that they—or any other revelations—should never have been
published, thus necessarily becoming public property for the eyes of the
world. Also notice that they were given to individuals, to those whom God
chose in commencing his work, for their individual instruction, and were
not given to the church, and the church had no need of them. In the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants they are sections 2 to 16 [D&C 3-19], inclusive.
The headings over sections 4 [D&C 5] and 7 [D&C 8] are not like they are in
the Book of Commandments, in which the headings show that they were
also given to individuals. Section 4 [D&C 5] is a revelation given to Joseph
Smith and Martin Harris. Section 7 [D&C 8] is a revelation given to Oliver
Cowdery.

Now, bear in mind that these revelations were given through the
“stone,” while the Book of Mormon was being translated. The revelations in
June, 1829, were given about the time the translation of the [p. 55] book was
finished. As I have stated before, Brother Joseph gave up the stone a few
months after translating the Book of Mormon. Y ou can see from the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants that the next revelation after June, 1829, is March,
1830, a period of nine months, and we had been preaching since August,
1829. 33 Now you notice that when the revelations began to come again, at
the end of this nine months (this time through Brother Joseph as “mouth¬
piece”), they came thick and fast, and are of a different character to those
given through the stone, which were given to individuals for their individual
instruction in commencing the work. ... [p. 56] ...

In no place in the word of God does it say that an Elder is after the order
of Melchisedec, or after the order of the Melchisedec Priesthood. An Elder is
after the order of Christ. This matter of “priesthood,” since the days of Syd¬
ney Rigdon, has been the great hobby and stumbling-block of the Latter Day
Saints. Priesthood means authority; and authority is the word we should use.

33. Whitmer’s argument is somewhat diminished by his own account of
the so-called “Canadian Revelation,” which Whitmer claimed came through
the stone, evidently sometime in the winter of 1829-30.

207

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

I do not think the word priesthood is mentioned in the New Covenant of the
Book of Mormon. Authority is the word we used for the first two years in the
church—until Sydney Rigdon’s days in Ohio. This matter of the two orders
of priesthood in the Church of Christ, and lineal priesthood of the old law
being in the church, all originated in the mind of Sydney Rigdon. He ex¬
plained these things to Brother Joseph in his way, out of the old Scriptures,
and got Brother Joseph to inquire, etc. He would inquire, and as mouthpiece
speak out the revelations just as they had it fixed up in their hearts.... [p. 64]

... In June, 1829, the Lord gave us the name by which we must call the
church, being the same as He gave the Nephites. We obeyed His command¬
ment, and called it THE CHURCH OF CHRIST until 1834, when,
through the influence of Sydney Rigdon, the name of the church was
changed to “The Church of the Latter Day Saints,” dropping out the name
of Christ entirely, that name which we were strictly commanded to call the
church by, and which Christ by His own lips makes so plain. ... [p. 73]

DAVID WHITMER.

RICHMOND, MO., April 1st, 1887. [p. 75]

208

34.

David Whitmer Interview
with Chicago Tribune,
23 January 1888

“An Old Mormon’s Closing Hours,” Chicago Tribune, 24 January 1888.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 23 January 1888, two days before David Whitmer’s death, a corre¬
spondent with the Chicago Tribune interviewed Whitmer at his home in
Richmond. However, much of the information came from previously pub¬
lished sources (cf. VI.A.26, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH
CHICAGO TRIBUNE 15 DEC 1885).

RICHMOND, Mo., Jan. 23.—David Whitmer, the last one of the
three witnesses to the truth of the Book of Mormon, is now in a dying condi¬
tion at his home in Richmond. Last evening he called the family and friends
to his bedside, and bore his testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon
and the Bible. He is past 83 years of age. Mr. Whitmer is an old citizen of this
town, and is known by every one here as a man of the highest honor, having
resided here since the year 1838. He is not and never has been a believer in
polygamy. He left the Mormon Church in 1838 on account of their depar¬
ture from the faith as he believes. His mind is still clear. He is in no pain what¬
ever, but is gradually sinking, and death is expected every hour. ...

David Whitmer, who played an important part in the translation of the
Mormon Bible, and who was one of the pillars of the church during the life¬
time of Joseph Smith, was born in Pennsylvania, Jan. 5, 1805. During his
early childhood his father moved from Pennsylvania up into Ontario County
in New York, and settled on a farm in the vicinity of Watkin’s Glen.

It was during the early part of June, 1829, that David first heard that a
young man named Joseph Smith had found an exceedingly valuable golden
treasure in the northern part of the county. In company with his brother-in-
law, Oliver Cowdery, 1 young Whitmer set out to ascertain the truth or fal¬
sity of the story. Smith, who was at that time living with his father on a farm

1. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

209

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

near Manchester, was indisposed at first to exhibit his treasure, but was finally
persuaded to do so. The treasure consisted of a number of golden plates about
eight inches long, seven inches wide, and of the thickness of ordinary sheet
tin. They were bound together in the shape of a book by three gold rings. A
large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impos¬
sible to separate them, but upon the loose leaves were engraved hieroglyph¬
ics which were unintelligible to any person who had seen them. With the
tablets was an immense pair of spectacles set in a silver bow. Smith an¬
nounced that he had been commanded to translate the characters upon the
plates as soon as possible, and stated further that the work must be done in the
presence of three witnesses. Smith, his wife, 2 Cowdery, and Whitmer then
proceeded to the house of Whitmer’s father, where the work of translation
was carried out, Smith reading the characters by means of the magic specta¬
cles, Cowdery, Christian Whitmer, 3 a brother of David, and Smith’s wife
acting as amanuenses. The work of translation occupied nearly eight months.
Smith careles[s]ly tattled to the neighbors of the secrets which they were
working out, and as a consequence the plates were taken from him by the an¬
gel of the Lord who in place of them gave him a Urim and Thummin of a dif¬
ferent shape which he was to place in his hat and on covering his face with the
hat he received straightway a direct revelation. After the completion of the
translation David Whitmer became an ardent disciple of the new religion,
and for some time preached throughout the neighborhood on its behalf. His
efforts, and those of Cowdery and some others met with such success that a
Mormon church was founded April 6, 1830, in which year the Book of Mor¬
mon was first published to the world. In the year following the church and its
disciples moved to Kirtland, Ofhio]., where Brigham Young 4 first joined the
church. The original manuscript from which the Book of Mormon was
printed has been in the possession of Mr. Whitmer from the time it was writ¬
ten. It is stated that the Mormon Church has of late years made strenuous ef¬
forts to induce Mr. Whitmer to part with it, but all offers made by them were
steadfastly refused. ...

2. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

3. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

4. On Brigham Young (1801-77), see introduction to III.K.19, BRIG¬
HAM YOUNG ACCOUNTS, 1855 & 1857.

210

35.

David Whitmer Interview
with Richmond (mo) Democrat ,
January 1888

“The Last Witness Dead! David Whitmer, the aged Patria[r]ch, Gone to His
Rest. His Parting Injunction to His Family and Friends. He Departs in
Peace,” Richmond (MO) Democrat, 26 January 1888; reprinted 2 February
1888.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Parts of this obituary and interview should be compared with VI.A.29,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD, 10
OCT 1886.

For many days past our aged fellow citizen, David Whitmer, lingered
on the very brink of the grave waiting for the summons, but it did not come
until yesterday evening, at 5 o’clock, when [his] spirit winged it[s] way into
the infinite.

David Whitmer was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, January 7th,
1805, consequently in his 83rd year. He possessed a remarkably robust con¬
stitution which, added to his habit of activity and temperate living, pro¬
longed his life beyond four score. He lived in Richmond about half a cen¬
tury, and we can say that no man ever lived here, who had among our peo¬
ple, more friends and fewer enemies. Honest, conscientious and upright in
all his dealings, just in his estimate of men, and open, manly and frank in his
treatment of all, he made lasting friends who loved him to the end.

When a youth he moved to Ontario county, New York. He was mar¬
ried to Julia Ann Jolly, on January 9th 1831, in Seneca county, New Y ork. In
1832 he moved from that place, to Kirtland, Ohio. 1 In 1834 2 he came to
Jackson county, Missouri, and in 1837 moved to Far West, Caldwell county,
Missouri, and from there to Richmond in 1 838, where he resided to the day

1. Whitmer had moved to Kirtland by June 1831 (Cook 1981,24-25).

2. Whitmer was in Jackson County, Missouri, by October 1832 (Cook
1981,25).

211

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

of his death. He leaves a wife and two children, two grand children, and sev¬
eral great grand children.

It is well known that he was a firm believer in the bible, in the divinity
of Christ and in the authenticity and divine character of the record of the
Nephites, better known as the Book of Mormon.

He was the last to go of the three witnesses to “the divine authenticity
of the record of the Nephites,” and as the history of this Book of Mormon is
not much known, we think this a fitting occasion to repeat what Mr.
Whitmer has often said on the subject, taken in part from an article written
by Joe Johnson of the Plattsburg Democrat. 3

When he was 24 years of age and working on his father’s farm near Pal¬
myra, New York, all that section of the country was more or less excited over
the reported discovery by Joseph Smith of the gold plates from which the
Book of Mormon was translated. Oliver Cowdery, 4 the village school
teacher, mentioned the matter to him and announced his determination to
visit Smith and investigate the matter for himself, promising Mr. Whitmer, at
the latter’s request, to advise him of the result. A few days later he received a
letter from Cowdery, urging him to join him, which he did, being received
by the “prophet” with open arms. After remaining long enough to satisfy
himself of

THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SMITH
The three returned to Whitmer’s home, where it was agreed that the work of
translation should be prosecuted.

Shortly after his return, and while he was plowing in the field one after¬
noon, he was visited by Smith and Cowdery, who requested that he should
accompany them into the woods on a hill across the road for the purpose of
witnessing a manifestation that should qualify he and Cowdery to bear wit¬
ness to the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, Smith explaining
that such procedure was in accordance with explicit instructions he had re¬
ceived from

AN ANGEL OF THE LORD.

Repairing to the woods they engaged in prayer for a short time, when

3. The following seven paragraphs should be compared with VI.A.29,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA HERALD ■ 10 OCT
1886. The item is incorrectly attributed to Joe Johnson of the Plattsburg Democrat
(presently not available for comparison), having evidently reprinted it from the
Herald.

4. On Oliver Cowdery, see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery Collec¬
tion.”

212

INTERVIEW WITH RICHMOND (MO) DEMOCRAT, 1888

suddenly a great light shone round about them far brighter and more dazzling
than the brilliancy of the noon day sun, seemingly enveloping the wood for a
considerable distance. A spirit of elevation seized him as of joy indescribable
and a strange influence stole over him which so entra[n]ced him that he felt
that he was chained to the spot. A moment later and a divine personage
clothed in white raiment appeared unto them, and immediately in front of
the personage stood a table on which lay a number of gold plates, some brass
plates, the “urim and thummim” and the “sword of Laban.” All of these they
were directed to examine carefully and after their examination they were
told that the Lord would demand that

THEY BEAR WITNESS THEREOF

To all the world. These plates were engraved with characters termed in the
Book of Mormon “reformed Egyptian” characters unknown to the linguists
of the present day, which is claimed as a fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah:

“And the word of the Lord has become unto them as the leaves of a
book which are sealed, and which is delivered unto him that is learned, say¬
ing: Read this, I pray thee, and he sayeth, I cannot, for it is sealed,” etc. [Isa.
29:11]

A slip of paper containing a fac simile of these characters, traced by Jo¬
seph Smith, was submitted to the celebrated Professor [Charles] Ant[h] on
and others and all confessed their inability to translate them, recognizing in
them characteristics of several ancient alphabets. This slip is still in Mr.
Whitmer’s possession and is cherished with the same sacred care that he be¬
stows on the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon, which he also has.

While describing this vision to us, all traces of a severe cold from which
he was suffering disappeared for the time being, his form straightened, his
countenance assumed almost a beautified expression and his tones became
strangely eloquent. Although evidently no studied effort, the description
was a

MAGNIFICENT PIECE OF WORD PAINTING
and he carried his hearers with him to that lonely hill by the old farm and they
stood there with him awed in the divine presence. Skeptics may laugh and
scoff if they will, but no man can listen to Mr. Whitmer as he talks of his in¬
terview with the Angel of the Lord, without being most forcibly convinced
that he has heard an honest man tell what he honestly believes to be true.

The result of this vision was a proclamation for the facts enumerated.

THE “URIM AND THUMMIM,”

Mentioned in the account of the vision were a pair of transparent stone spec¬
tacles. Smith would put on the spectacles, when a few words of the text of the

213

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Book of Mormon would appear on the lenses. When these were correctly
transcribed by Cowdery, who acted as his amanuensis, these words would
disappear and others take their place. When one hundred and sixteen pages
were completed, Smith entrusted them to Martin Harris, 5 to take to his
home with a view to convert his family to the new faith. They were placed at
night in a bureau drawer and next morning were missing, having been sto¬
len. They were never found and never replaced, so that the Book of Mor¬
mon to-day is short that number of pages of the original matter. As a

CHASTISEMENT FOR THIS CARELESSNESS,

The urim and thummim was taken from Smith. But by humbling himself, he
again found favor with the Lord and was presented with a strange oval¬
shaped, chocolate colored stone, about the size of an egg but more flat,
which it was promised should answer the same purpose. With this stone all
the present book was translated. The prophet would place the stone in a hat,
then put his face in the hat and read the words that appeared thereon. This
stone is the only relic of the prophet’s work in existence which is not in pos¬
session of Mr. Whitmer. It was confided to Oliver Cowdery and preserved
by him until his death in 1852 [1850]. After that event Phineas Young suc¬
ceeded in getting it from Cowdery’s widow and it is now among the sacred
relics preserved at Salt Lake City.

He bore his long illness with great patience and fortitude, his faith
never for a moment wavering, and when the summons came, he sank peace¬
fully to rest, with a smile on his countenance, just as if he was being lulled to
sleep by sweet music. Just before the breath left the body, he opened his eyes
which glistened with the brightness of his early manhood. He then turned
them toward heaven, and a wonderful light came over his countenance,
which remained several moments, when the eyes gradually closed and David
Whitmer was gone to his rest.

On Monday last at 10 o’clock A.M. after awakening from a short slum¬
ber, he said he had seen beyond the veil and saw Christ on the other side. His
friends who were constantly at his bedside claim that he had many manifesta¬
tions of the truth of the great beyond, and which confirms their faith beyond
all shadow of doubt. 6

On Sunday evening at 5:30, January 22, 1888, Mr. Whitmer called his
family and some friends to his bedside and addressing himself to the attending
physician, said: “Dr. Buchanan I want you to say whether or not I am in my
right mind, before I give my dying testimony.”

5. On Martin Harris, see “Introduction to Martin Harris Collection.”

6. This paragraph is missing in Cook 1991, 231.

214

INTERVIEW WITH RICHMOND (MO) DEMOCRAT , 1888

The doctor answered: “Yes you are in your right mind for I have just
had a conversation with you.”

He then addressed himself to all around his bedside, in these words:
“Now you must be faithful in Christ. I want to say to you all the Bible and the
record of the Nephites, (Book of Mormon) is true, so you can say that you
have heard me bear my testimony, on my death bed. All be faithful in Christ
and your reward will be according to your works. God bless you all. My trust
is in Christ forever, world[s] without end.—Amen.”

It is proper to state the Book of Mormon, the manuscript of which Mr.
Whitmer retained to the day of his death, strongly condemns polygamy and
the practice of Utah Mormons. In 1879, Orson Pratt and other Mormon El¬
ders came here and attempted to buy the manuscript, but Mr. Whitmer
would part with it for no consideration, as he considered it his duty to retain
it. 7 8

In the spring of 1887, he published a pamphlet, setting forth his reli¬
gious views, in which he strongly condemns polygamy and forcibly argues
by giving scripture quotations, in favor of the Church of Christ, which is the
name taken by all true believers in the record of the Nephites. <s

His remains will be laid to rest to-morrow at the new city cemetery in
Richmond. Mr. Whitmer was a very plain man and it was his desire that no
display of any kind be made at his burial, hence the only ceremony will be a
few appropriate remarks at his late residence.

7. See VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878.

8. See VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887.

215

David Whitmer addendum

In addition to the documents presented in this collection, the following
brief, fragmentary accounts mention other occasions when David Whitmer
related his testimony.

1. David Whitmer Testimony, 18 July 1831.

Reporting onameeting near Paris, Illinois, on 18July 1831, WilliamE.
McLellin recorded in his journal: “D[avid]. Whitmer then arose and
bore testimony to having seen an Holy Angel who had made known
the truth of this record to him” (William E. McLellin, Journal, 18 July
1831, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah).

2. David Whitmer Statement, Circa 1833.

John P. Green related an incident during the Mormon persecutions in
Missouri: “When the mob again assembled they went to the houses of
several of the leading Mormons. And taking Isaac Morley, David Whit¬
mer, and others, they told them to bid their families farewell, for they
would never see them again. Then driving them at the point of the bay¬
onet to the public square, they stripped and tarred and feathered them,
amidst menaces and insults. The commanding officer then called twelve
of his men. And ordering them to cock their guns and present them at
the prisoners’ breasts, and to be ready to fire when he gave the word, he
addressed the prisoners, threatening them with instant death unless they
denied the Book of Mormon and confessed it to be a fraud; at the same
time adding that if they did so, they might enjoy the privileges of citi¬
zens. David Whitmer, hereupon, lifted up his hands and bore witness that
the Book of Mormon was the Word of God. The mob then let them go”
(Greene 1839, 17).

3. David Whitmer Testimony, 21 August 1836.

Lumon Andros Shurtliff recalled that on the day of his baptism, 21 Au¬
gust 1836, in Kirtland, Ohio, he: “spent the afternoon in he=aring him
[David Whitmer] relate things about the Angel sh=owing him the Plates
from which the Book of Mo=rmon was translated I also asked him all the
Questions I had wished to ask But I had read and herd it all and learned

216

DAVID WHITMER ADDENDUM

nothing new” (Lumon Andros Shurtliff, Autobiography, circa 1852-
1876, 72, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah).

4. David Whitmer Interview with Thomas B. Marsh, 1838.

About August 1838, Thomas B. Marsh left the church and moved to
Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, where some of the Book of Mor¬
mon witnesses lived. He later wrote: “I saw David, John and Jacob Whit¬
mer and Oliver Cowdery, who had all apostatized. I enquired seriously
of David if it was true that he had seen the angel, according to his testi¬
mony as one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. He replied as sure
as there is a God in heaven, he saw the angel according to his testimony
in that book. I asked him, if so, why he did not stand by Joseph? He an¬
swered, in the days when Joseph received the Book of Mormon, and
brought it forth, he was a good man and filled with the Holy Ghost, but
he considered he had now fallen. I interrogated Oliver Cowdery in the
same manner, who answered similarly” (Deseret News 8 [24 March 1858]:
18; rept. Millennial Star 26 [25June 1864]: 406; Cook 1991, 1).

5. David Whitmer Statement, Circa 1838.

According to an 1888 third-hand account of an anti-Mormon meeting
in Missouri held about 1838: “David Whitmer arose, walked to the plat¬
form, and delivered a short but very telhng speech. ... He then went on
to say that no person had ever questioned his word to his knowledge
about any other matter than finding the Book of Mormon. ... Why per¬
sons should question his word about the golden plates, when they took
it in relation to all other matters, was to him a mystery” (Chicago Times ,
26January 1888; Cook 1991, 224).

6. David Whitmer Interview with David H. Cannon, 1861.

After attending stake conference in St. George, Utah, Charles Lowell
Walker recorded in his diary: “Attended Conference [11 June 1894].
Br[other] Parker represented Virgen City Ward, after which Dfavid] H
Cannon occupied nearly all the time. ... He also bore a powerful testi¬
mony to the truth of the Book of Mormon, having seen and heard the
witnesses of the Book of Mormon testify to their having seen the Angel
turn over the gold Plates and exhibit the engravings upon them, i.e.,
David Whitmer and Martin Harris, one in the Kirtland Temple and the
other in Richmond Missouri, David Whitmer having the Manuscript
Copy from which the Book of Mormon was printed” (Larson and Lar¬
son 1980, 2:773-74; Cook 1991, 219-20).

217

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

Recalling his 1861 interview with Whitmer, David H. Cannon said:
“From there I went to Richmond, Missouri, and called upon David
Whitmer, who was the other surviving witness. I told him my purpose
and asked him questions similar to what I had propounded to Martin
Harris. He showed me the manuscript from which the said Book of
Mormon had been printed. I was sufficiently acquainted with printing
to know that the manuscript had been in the hands of a printer, and he
[Whitmer] also testified that an angel turned the leaves of the plates from
which the Book of Mormon was translated, and as he turned them, tes¬
tified that they contained a history of the ancient inhabitants of this con¬
tinent, and that they had been translated by the gift and power of God”
(Evans and Cannon 1967, 250).

In an autobiography, Cannon reminisced: “The thing which impressed
me most of all was, as we stood beside the grave of Oliver Cowdery the
other Witness, who had come back into the Church before his death,
and [David Whitmer] in describing Olivers action, when bearing his
testimony, said to the people in his room, placing his hands like this
upon his head, saying T know the Gospel to be true and upon this head
has Peter[,] James and John laid their hands and conferred the Holy
Melchesdic Priesthood 5 ” (DavidH. Cannon, Autobiography, 13 March
1917, 5, as quoted in Porter 1995,10).

7. David Whitmer Interview with Davis H. Bays, 13 September 1869.

“I visited Richmond, the county seat of Ray, where, to my surprise, I
found Bro. David Whitmer, one of the ‘three witnesses]. 5 He is now 64
years old and somewhat broken. He entertains some ideas of minor im¬
portance, which could not be considered orthodox; but so far as his faith
in the Latter Day Work is concerned, he remains as firm as the everlast¬
ing hills” (Saints' Herald 16 [1 November 1869]; Cook 1991, 1).

8. David Whitmer Interview with Henry Moon, Fall 1871.

Speaking at General Conference in Salt Lake City on 9 April 1872,
Bishop Henry Moon reported what he heard David Whitmer say, as fol¬
lows: “God Almighty requires at my hands to bear record of the truth of
the Book of Mormon. That book is a true record; it is the pure gospel of
Jesus Christ, translated by the gift and power of God, through Joseph
Smith” (Deseret Evening News, 10 April 1872; Cook 1991, 2).

9. David Whitmer Interview with James CafFall, August 1874.

In a letter to the editors of the Saints' Herald, James Caffall reported:

218

DAVID WHITMER ADDENDUM

“Before I bade him [David Whitmer] good-bye, I said to him, ‘Can I,
Father Whitmer, say, I this day have seen a living witness to the Book of
Mormon;’ whereupon he raised his eyes heavenward, and said, ‘AS MY
TESTIMONY STANDS, SO IT IS; I HAVE NOT, NOR WILL I
DENY IT’” ( Saints' Herald 21 [15 September 1874]: 564; also Journal of
History 3 [October 1910]: 454; Cook 1991, 4).

10. David Whitmer to Mark H. Forscutt, 2 March 1875.

“My testimony to the world is written concerning the Book of Mor¬
mon, and it is the same that I gave at first and it is the same as shall stand
to my latest hour in life, linger with me in death and shine as Gospel
Truth beyond the limits of life, among the Tribunals of Heaven, and
[that] the Nations of the Earth will have known to[o] late the divine
truth written on the pages of that book is the only sorrow of this servant
of the Almighty Father” (David Whitmer to Mark H. Forscutt, 2 March
1875, Scrapbook, 16-17, present location unknown, photographically
reproduced in I. Davis 1964, 75).

11. David Whitmer to James N. Seymour, 8 December 1875.

In a letter to the Saints’ Herald, James N. Seymour quoted from a letter
he had received from David Whitmer, who wrote: “As you read my tes¬
timony given many years ago, so it stands as my own existence; the same
as when I gave it, and so shall stand throughout the cycles of eternity”
(Saints’Herald 26 [15 July 1879]: 223-23; Cook 1991, 234-35).

12. David Whitmer to Heman C. Smith, 5 December 1876.

“Dear Sir: As concerning the Book of Mormon and its contents, and my
views for which you inquire, I can say the Book and its contents are true.
And my testimony in connection with the Book is also true” (David
Whitmer to Heman C. Smith, 5 December 1876, Community of Christ
Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri; Cook 1991, 236-37).

13. David Whitmer to Joseph Smith III, 2 February 1878.

“My testimony to the Book of Mormon is true and I am admonished
neither to add to nor take from my testimony already appended to the
Book. And if I should do so must be extremely guarded under the risk of
being misunderstood” (David Whitmer to Joseph Smith III, 2 February
1878, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Mis¬
souri; Cook 1991, 237-38).

219

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

14. David Whitmer Interview with Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith,

7-8 September 1878.

In a letter dated 18 September 1878, Orson Pratt wrote: “We ... had
several interviews with David Whitmer—one of the three witnesses of
the plates of the Book of Mormon. He showed to us the original manu¬
scripts of the Book of Mormon mostly in Oliver Cowdery’s handwrit¬
ing. ... David would not sell the manuscripts for any price; he esteems
them very sacredly, and would, for no earthly consideration, part with
them. David gives the same solemn testimony that he did 48 years ago,
but he has not progressed in spiritual things since he was dropped from
the church” (Orson Pratt to Marian Pratt, 18 September 1878, Orson
Pratt Correspondence, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City; Cook
1991,46-47).

Joseph F. Smith reminisced in a discourse delivered 21 February 1892 in
Provo, Utah: “I had the privilege of visiting David Whitmer a few years
since and he related this incident. He said that with a glorious light a table
was placed near by, on which lay the plates, the Urim and Thummim
and the sword of Laban. The angel of God showed the engravings on the
plates, and while the witnesses were examining the same, they heard the
voice of God declaring that these were the plates translated by the power
of the Almighty. When Martin Harris came back to them, they knew he
had also seen the angel, because his face was radiant and he declared he
had received the testimony. David Whitmer told me they knew he had
also seen the vision which they had, because he explained what they had
themselves seen” (Joseph F. Smith, 21 February 1892, cited in Stuy
1987-92, vol. 2).

15. David Whitmer Interview with William E. McLellin, June 1879.

“I saw him [David Whitmer] in June 1879, and heard him bear his sol¬
emn testimony to the truth of the book—as sincerely and solemnly as
when he bore it to me in Paris, Ill. in July 1831.1 believed him then and
still believe him” (William E. McLellin to James T. Cobb, 14 August
1880, Independence, Missouri, William E. McLellin Collection, New
York Public Library, New York, NewYork; Cook 1991, 240-41).

16. David Whitmer Interview with Jesse R. Badham, 20 March 1881.

“In Richmond, Ray County, Missouri. Visited David Whitmer the
Remaining living witness to the book of Mormon—He bore a strong
testamony—that An Angel Shewed him the book and the characters
therein, and that the voice of God declaimed from the Heavens that it

220

DAVID WHITMER ADDENDUM

was translated by the gift and power of God. That this ministration was
not the only one by any means—that [a] messenger had come to him in
the fields and he was prepared for the coming testimony” (Jesse R. Bad-
ham, Journal, 20 March 1881, Community of Christ Library-Archives,
Independence, Missouri; Cook 1991, 57).

“I have just been conversing with Elder David Whitmer, the last of the
three special witnesses of the Book of Mormon. His testimony is still the
same as we see appended to the Book of Mormon” (Jesse R. Badham to
Joseph Smith III, Saints' Herald 28 [1 April 1881]: 109; Cook 1991,
57-58).

17. David Whitmer Interview with Edwin G. Woolley, Circa 1882.

“During our interview, Mr. Whitmer reiterated his testimony as given
at the beginning of the Book of Mormon, saying that all he testified to
there was true; that he had seen the plates and the Heavenly messenger,
as he had stated” (Edwin G. Woolley, Diary, Special Collections, Har¬
old B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; Cook
1991,80-82).

18. David Whitmer Interview with Joseph Smith III and Others, 4 April

1882.

“On April4th, Brothers]. W. W. Blair, Pheneas Cadwell, James H. Pe¬
ters and the Editor [Joseph Smith III], visited Richmond, Ray county,
Missouri, for the purpose of paying our respects to David Whitmer, Se¬
nior, the surviving witness to the Book of Mormon. ... In answer to
questions by the brethren he recited with graphic distinctness the scene
in which he received the testimony he bore many years past and still
bears to the Book of Mormon; and averred anew that the statement
made by him as published in the book is true. No one who listens to him
can doubt the sincerity and truthfulness of the man” ( Saints' Herald 29 [1
May 1882]: 141; Cook 1991, 88-89).

19. David Whitmer Interview with John Morgan and Matthias F. Cow¬
ley, 13 April 1882.

“We had a long instructive conversation with him [David Whitmer]
and listened with attention to him bear anew his faithful testimony to
the divinity of the work and truth of the Book of Mormon” (John Mor¬
gan, Diary, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah; Cook 1991,
89-90).

221

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

“He bore a faithful testimony to the divine character of the Book of
Mormon and related many incidents connected with the earliest history
of the Church” (John Morgan to John Taylor, April 1882 [?], cited in
Richardson and Morgan 1965, 323; Cook 1991, 90).

“We listened to him converse and in substance reaffirm with much as¬
surance his testimony relative to the Book of Mormon” (Matthias F.
Cowley, Diary, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah; Cook
1991,91).

20. David Whitmer to S. T. Mouch, 18 November 1882.

“My testimony as published in connection with the Book of Mormon is
true—And why Should men ask to know more in regard to all the par¬
ticulars connected with that all Overshadowing truth—If they will not
believe the three and 8 witnesses would they believe though one Should
arise from the dead, and testify to its truth again” (David Whitmer to S.
T. Mouch, 18 November 1882, Richmond, Missouri, Whitmer Papers,
Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri;
Cook 1991, 241-42).

21. David Whitmer Interview with Moroni Pratt, S. R. Marks, and
Others, 30 June 1883.

“Elders W. M. Palmer, S. R. Marks, D. F. Davis and myself accompa¬
nied by O. Shelby of Indiana, on June 30, visited David Whitmer at
Richmond, Ray Co., Mo., and heard him bear testimony to the truth of
his testimony as it is recorded in the Book ofMormon. His mind seemed
clear and his recollection of things pertaining to the translation of the
Book ofMormon, and the visitation of the Angel, and the voice of the
Lord, seemed to be vivid and perfect. ... [W]hen giving his testimony he
would straighten up, his voice would be firm, his eye would flash and
one could feel that he spoke by the spirit of truth” (Moroni W. Pratt to
Bear Lake Democrat, 3 July 1883, Covington, Indiana, Bear Lake Democrat
[Paris, Idaho], 14July 1883; Cook 1991, 93).

“In the morning, June 30th, Mr. [David] Whitmer visited us at the ho¬
tel. He is a fine looking, intelligent man and seemed pleased to [see] us.
We interrogated him in regard to his testimony given in the Book of
Mormon. Elder W. M. Palmer being the chief speaker, although ques¬
tions were asked by Mr. Shelby and the Elders. He bore a powerful testi¬
mony to the divine authenticity of the book and the restoration of the
Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, stating his testimony as given

222

DAVID WHITMER ADDENDUM

in the Book of Mormon is absolutely true just as it is given there. He fur¬
ther stated that if that is not truth there is no truth; if there is no truth
then there is no God and if there is no God there is nothing. He declared
that the angel stood before him and he distinctly heard the voice of God
declaring that the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power
of God, and related many things that transpired in the early history of the
Church, which was of great interest to us, and which adds another to the
very numerous testimonies we have received of the divine mission of
the great latter-day Prophet, Joseph Smith” (S. R. Marks to the Deseret
News, 19 July 1883, Covington, Indiana, Deseret News, 21 July 1883;
Cook 1991, 93-94).

22. David Whitmer Interview with J. Frank McDowell, 8 May 1884.

“On the 8th of May last, in company with our estimable young brother,
‘Lettie’ Brackenbury, went to the house ofBro. David Whitmer. ... We
were then invited into the sitting room, where the aged friend reclined
on a lounge, feeling somewhat indisposed. Then we talked about the in¬
valuable plates, the angel’s appearance, etc. He said: ‘I saw the angel as
plainly as I see you; he was surrounded by the glory of God, which over¬
shadowed us, and we heard his voice, and we saw the records of the
Book of Mormon,’ etc. ‘My testimony is the same as at the beginning,
and is true’” (J. Frank McDowell to Saints' Herald, 22 July 1884, Olivet,
Iowa, Saints' Herald 31 [9 August 1884]: 508; Cook 1991, 129-32).

23. David Whitmer Interview with Heman C. Smith and William H.

Kelley, 19 June 1884.

In a letter to the editors of the Saints' Herald dated 28 June 1884, Heman
C. Smith related an interview he and William H. Kelley had with David
Whitmer on the 19th: “He [David Whitmer] informed us that at one
time he was told by five hundred armed men that if he did not deny his
testimony he should die; but in the face of death he affirmed the truth of
his former testimony. He was with Oliver Cowdery in his last illness,
and was by him admonished to never falter in his testimony of the Book
of Mormon; for it was true” (Saints' Herald 31 [12 July 1884]: 422, cited
in Smith, Smith, and Edwards 1968, 4:448-49; and Cook 1991,
132-34).

24. David Whitmer Interview with B. H. Roberts, 1884.

Following his 1884 interview with David Whitmer, B. H. Roberts re¬
ported: “It was my privilege to call upon him at his home a few years ago

223

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

and listen to his testimony. He stated that the Book of Mormon was
true, that his statement in connection with that of Oliver Cowdery and
Martin Harris was strictly correct, he had nothing to add to it, nor to di¬
minish from it” ( Contributor 9 [March 1888]: 169; cf. Millennial Star 50
[20 February 1888]: 120).

On 5 October 1826, Roberts told a General Conference audience: “In
my interview with David Whitmer, in 1884,... he said to me that in the
progress of turning the leaves, or having them turned by Moroni, and
looking upon the engravings, Moroni looked directly at him and said:
‘David, blessed is he that endureth to the end’” ( Conference Report, Octo¬
ber 1926, 126).

25. Richmond Conservator Statement, 9 January 1885.

“[David Whitmer] holds in his possession the manuscript from which
the book of Mormon was published, he reiterates that he saw the glory
of the angel, blinding him by its radiance, heard it proclaim ‘You have
testified to the truth’” (Richmond Conservator 31 [9 January 1885]; Cook
1991,245).

26. David Whitmer to E. C. Brand, 8 February 1885.

“I did see the angel of God, and was commanded to testify of these
things, and they are true” ( Kingston [Missouri] Times, 23 December
1887).

27. David Whitmer Interview with Franklin D. Richards and Charles C.
Richards, 22 May 1885.

“My father [Franklin D. Richards] did most of the visiting with Mr.
Whitmer, while I sat quietly listening to them discuss the important
events that transpired at Nauvoo; and, when I thought it would be per¬
missible for me to do so, I said that we would appreciate being told, if
Mr. Whitmer felt like telling us, some of the incidents connected with
the vision he had at the time the plates were shown to him and to the
other witnesses. Mr. Whitmer turned his large, kind, but penetrating
eyes upon me and, in a very pleasant and considerate, but firm and steady
voice said: ‘Read the printed testimony of the three witnesses, which
you will find on one of the front pages of the Book of Mormon—and I
say to you that every word ofit is true’” (C. Richards 1947, 13-14).

28. David Whitmer to Sister Gates, 11 February 1887.

“I would like very much to see you—and of course would tell you about

224

DAVID WHITMER ADDENDUM

my vision of the Angel. You ask me if I saw the Angel when he brought
the plates. I saw the Angel when he brought the plates, and the Angel
told us that we must bear testimony to the world, as contained in my tes¬
timony written in the Book of Mormon. Doubt not—sister—the Book
of Mormon is the word of God” (David Whitmer to Sister Gates, 11
February 1887, Richmond, Missouri, Whitmer Papers, Community of
Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri; Cook 1991, 245).

29. David Whitmer to Robert Nelson, 15 February 1887.

“I did see the Angel as it is recorded in my testimony in the Book of
Mormon. The Book is true” (David Whitmer to Robert Nelson, 15
February 1887, Richmond, Missouri, Whitmer Papers, Community of
Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri; Cook 1991, 246).

30. David Whitmer Interview with Angus M. Cannon, 7 January 1888.

“ [V]isited David Whitmer 83 years old that day. He said:—My friend, if
God ever uttered a truth the testimony I now bear is true. I did see the
angel of God and beheld the glory of the Lord and He declared that Re¬
cord true. I felt I should be the last stranger to hear it” (Angus M. Can¬
non, Diary, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah; Cook 1991,
218-19).

“On the seventh of last month, (Jan. 1888,) Brother Cannon called on
David Whitmer to hear his testimony. The old gentleman was then
eighty-three years of age, and very feeble. He raised his hand and said:
‘My friend, if God ever uttered a truth, I tell the truth now.' He then
went on and told how he saw the glory of the Lord and heard the voice
of the angel. His words were accompanied by the power of God” (Des¬
eret Evening News, 13 February 1888; Cook 1991,219). 1

31. David Whitmer Dying Testimony, 22 & 23 January 1888.

“On Sunday evening before his death he called the family and his at¬
tending physician, Dr. George W. Buchanan, to his bedside, and said
‘Doctor do you consider that I am in my right mind?’ to which the Doc¬
tor replied, ‘Yes, you are in your right mind, I have just had a conversa¬
tion with you.’ He then addressed himself to all present and said: ‘I want
to give my dying testimony. You must be faithful in Christ. I want to say

1. For a late thirdhand account of Cannon’s interview with Whitmer, see
Charles F. Solomon, Statement, 2 March 1952, reproduced in D. Cannon 1980,

298.

225

DAVID WHITMER COLLECTION

to you all that the Bible and the record of the Nephites, (The Book of
Mormon) are true, so you can say that you have heard me bear my testi¬
mony on my death bed. All be faithful in Christ and your reward will be
according to your works. God bless you all. My trust is in Christ forever,
worlds without end. Amen.’ On Monday morning he again called those
present to his bedside, and told them that he had seen another vision
which reconfirmed the divinity of the ‘Book of Mormon,’ and said that
he had seen Christ in the fullness of his glory and majesty, sitting upon
his great white throne in heaven waiting to receive his children” (. Rich¬
mond [Missouri] Conservatory 34 [26January 1888]; Cook 1991,225-27).

32. John C. Whitmer Statement, September 1888.

While visiting Richmond, Missouri, on 12 September 1888, Andrew
Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and Joseph S. Black interviewed John C.
Whitmer, son of Jacob Whitmer, who stated: “I was also with Uncle
David (Whitmer), who died here in January last, and heard him bear his
last testimony in the presence of many witnesses whom he had called to¬
gether for the occasion. He solemnly declared that the record of the
Nephites, as he always called the Book of Mormon, was of God, and his
testimony concerning it true” (Andrew Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and
Joseph S. Black to Deseret News y 13 September 1888, Deseret News y 17
September 1888; rept. Saints' Herald 25 [13 October 1888]: 651).

33. George W. Schweich Reminiscence, 1899.

Whitmer’s son-in-law, George Schweich, wrote to I. Woodbridge
Riley on 22 September 1899, stating: “I have begged him [David Whit¬
mer] to unfold the fraud in the case and he had all to gain and nothing to
lose but speak the word if he thought so—but he has described the scene
to me many times, of his vision about noon time in an open pasture—
there is only one explanation barring an actual miracle and that is this—
If that vision was not real it was HYPNOTISM, it was real to grandfa¬
ther IN FACT” (George W. Schweich to I. Woodbridge Riley, 22
September 1899, in Riley 1903, 219-20; Cook 1991, 255-56).

34. J. L. Traughber Reminiscence, 1901.

Responding to several incorrect assertions of anti-Mormon writer The¬
odore A. Schroeder, J. L. Traughber wrote: “I have several times heard
David Whitmer talk about the translation at his father’s. He said there
were several who wrote some at Smith’s dictation. Among those I re¬
member were [Oliver] Cowdery, the regular scribe, Mrs. [Emma]

226

DAVID WHITMER ADDENDUM

Smith, John Whitmer, and I think David [Whitmer] himself probably
wrote a few lines. I am sure he claimed that all those different hands are
represented in the MS. ... [You say David] Whitmer said he knew that
his MS. was written as Smith dictated ‘through his hat.’ This is not Da¬
vid’s position. He said, ‘By the seer stone.’ When it is remembered that
all the writing that was done at old Mr. Whitmer’s was done inside the
month of June, 1829, it is evident that David’s statement that the greater
part of the MS. was written at his father’s can not be harmonized with
another statement [of yours] that ‘The boys [Smith and Cowdery]
worked early and late, as it was slow work and they could translate only a
few pages a day’” (J. L. Traughber to Theodore A. Schroeder, 21 August
1901, T. A. Schroeder Papers, Rare Books and Manuscripts Division,
New York Public Library, New York, New York).

35. Philander Page Reminiscence, 1907.

Following a 1907 interview with Philander Page, son of Hiram Page,
George Edward Anderson recorded in his diary: “Was also present at the
deathbed of David Whitmer.... Sent for Dr. [George W.] Buchanan and
[Whitmer] askfed] if he was of sound mind as he wishfed] to reaffirm his
testimony of the Book of Mormon. The doctor said he was perfectly ra¬
tional. He reaffirmed his testimony to those present and counseled them
to be faithful to their testimony of Book of Mormon and the cause of
Christ and to the [Three] Witnesses’ testimony of the Book of Mormon”
(Diary, 27-28, Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, Salt Lake City,
Utah, cited in Holzapfel, Cottle, and Stoddard 1995, 67, 70).

36. John J. Snyder Reminiscence, 1928.

“I was with David Whitmer in Richmond, Missouri, about one year, in
1886 and 1887, and during that time he told me he had never heard of
the matter of John the Baptist ordaining Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery to the Aaronic priesthood until 1838, after Joseph Smith’s his¬
tory appeared. And further, he told me he had never heard of the matter
ofPeter, James andjohn ordainingjoseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to
the Melchisedec priesthood until 1838, after Joseph’s history appeared.
And he further told me he had never heard, until 1838, after Joseph
Smith’s history appeared, the story that he and Oliver Cowdery or¬
dained each other on April 6, 1830. And he (David Whitmer) said he
was present on that day (April 6, 1830), and the only ordination Joseph
Smith had was that of Prophet, Seer and Revelator” (John J. Snyder, Af¬
fidavit, 10 October 1928, cited in Cadman 1945, 24-25).

227

“John Whitmer,” charcoal portrait ca. 1890s from photograph;
artist unknown. Courtesy Community of Christ Archives, Independence,
Missouri.

INTRODUCTION TO
JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

John Whitmer (1802-78), son of Peter Whitmer, Sr., and brother of David
Whitmer, was born in Pennsylvania. Shortly after Joseph Smith’s arrival in
Fayette, New York, in June 1829, John’s brothers David and Peter Whit¬
mer, Jr, were baptized by Oliver Cowdery in Seneca Lake. Although not
mentioned in Joseph Smith’s history, John was probably baptized at that time
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 23; see also Cook 1981, 25).
By the end of the month, John became one of the eight special witnesses to
the Book of Mormon (see III.L.13, TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WIT¬
NESSES, JUN 1829). On 9 June 1830, he was ordained an elder. Whitmer
wrote extensively for Smith during the early years. Concerning his transla¬
tion work at the Whitmer residence, the prophet mentioned that Whitmer
“assisted us very much in writing during the remainder of the work,” mean¬
ing that John Whitmer was one of the scribes during the Book of Mormon
dictation (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 22). 1 Whitmer also
assisted Smith in copying and arranging Smith’s revelations in July 1830 and
as a scribe during the early work on Smith’s Bible revision.

Whitmer continued to be active in church affairs in Ohio and Missouri.
On 8 March 1831, in Ohio, he was called as the church’s first historian (D&C
47). Also in 1831, he and Oliver Cowdery were appointed to transport the
revelations to Jackson County, Missouri, for publication. In 1834, Whitmer
married Sarah Jackson, with whom he parented five children. On 8 July
1834, John was ordained a counselor to his brother David who was president
of the church in Missouri. The following year he moved to Kirtland, Ohio,
to become editor of the Messenger and Advocate. In July 1836, Whitmer re¬
turned to Clay County, Missouri, and, with W. W. Phelps, began to admin¬
ister church affairs in Missouri independent of church hierarchy, locating a
gathering place at Far West and identifying a new temple site. Because he had
purchased land in his own name with church funds and without permission
of the high council or church membership, he was excommunicated in
1838. After temporarily locating in Richmond, Missouri, Whitmer settled at

1. Of John Whitmer, it is said: “it was his especial pride and joy that he
had written sixty pages of the Book of Mormon” ( Saints’ Herald 26 [15 Decem¬
ber 1879]: 370).

231

JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

Far West, where he lived until his death on 11 July 1878 (Cook 1981, 25-26;
McKiernan and Launius 1980, 9-23).

Of the eight witnesses, John Whitmer left the most on record even
though he was brief or sparing in describing how he saw and handled the
plates. He may have hinted that there was more to his testimony than implied
in the official version when he reportedly stated in 1839 that the plates “were
shown to me by a supernatural power” (VI.B.3, JOHN WHITMER TES¬
TIMONY, 1839). The following collection gathers all of his known state¬
ments regarding both his testimony of the Book of Mormon and early Mor¬
mon history.

232

JOHN WHITMER HISTORY,
Circa 1836-1838

“The Book ofjohn Whitmer kept by Commandment/’ 1-10, Community
of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Concerning his call to be the church’s first historian, John Whitmer
wrote: “I was appointed by the voice of the Elders to keep the Church Re¬
cord. Joseph Smith Jr. said unto me you must also keep the Church history. I
would rather not do it but observed that the will of the Lord be done, and if
he desires it, I desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the Seer. And
thus came the word of the Lord. ...” (McKiernan and Launius 1980, 56).
Smith dictated the revelation that reads in part: “Behold, it is expedient in me
that my servant John should write and keep a regular history. ... And again, I
say unto you that it shall be appointed unto him to keep the church record
and history continually” (D&C 47:1, 3; see also 69:2, 3, 7, 8).

Seven years later, apparently dissatisfied with Whitmer’s slow progress,
Joseph Smith and other church leaders in Missouri began preparing their
own history of the church. On 9 April 1838, Sidney Rigdon, Smith’s first
counselor in the First Presidency, wrote to Whitmer from Far West demand¬
ing that he turn over his “notes”: “Indeed Sir, we never Supposed you capa¬
ble of writing a history, but were willing to let it come out under your name
notwithstanding it would real[l]y not be yours but ours. We are still willing
to honour you if you can be made to know your own interest and give up
your notes, so that they can be corrected, and made fit for the press. But if
not, we have all the materials for another, which we Shall commence this
week to write” (Faulring 1989, 171). Whitmer evidently refused to comply
with Rigdon’s request.

A superficial reading of Whitmer’s history has led some researchers to
conclude that Whitmer wrote at least the first portion in 1831 (e.g.,
McKiernan and Launius 1980, 14). On the first page, for example, Whitmer
states: “It is now June the twelfth one thousand eight hundred and thirty one
years, since the coming of our Lord and Savior, in the flesh.” There are also
dated entries written in the present tense. For instance, chapter 10, which
covers the church’s activities in Missouri from October 1831 to November
1833, contains diary-like entries and phrases such as “at this time” and “at

233

JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

present.” However, Whitmer’s use of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants in¬
dicates that he only began turning his “notes” into a history sometime after
that date (Howard 1982, 28). Because he initially ended his history with
chapter 19 and the words “Farewell, March 1838” (chapters 20-22 subse¬
quently added in different ink), Charles A. Davies of the RLDS Church con¬
cluded that Whitmer wrote the first portion before that date (Davies 1967,
168-69). It is possible that the history underwent several redactions before
being written or copied into the bound volume. Whitmer’s description of
James J. Strang as Joseph Smith’s successor in chapter 21, which he later
struck out and replaced with an account of his brother David’s claims to suc¬
cession, would indicate that the chapters were written sometime before
1847. Thus, what is known as the “Book of John Whitmer kept by Com¬
mandment” is the final version of a record that probably passed through sev¬
eral phases over many years: compiling of notes beginning in 1831 and fin¬
ishing touches on the history between 1835 and March 1838, the last three
chapters having been added about 1847.

The history is recorded on the first ninety-six pages of a cloth-bound
book of about three hundred unruled pages. 1 Following Whitmer’s death in
1878, his history and other papers were given to his brother David, who
willed them to his son David J. Whitmer. Later, these papers passed on to
George W. Schweich, grandson of David Whitmer. On 18 April 1903, the
RLDS Church purchased the Whitmer family documents from Schweich
for $2,450 (McKiernan and Launius 1980, 23).

I shall proceed to continue this record, 2 being commanded of the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, to to write the things that transpire in this church,
(inasmuch as they come to my knowledge,) in these last days. It is now June
the twelfth one thousand eight hundred and thirty one years, since the com¬
ing of our Lord and Savior, in the flesh.

Not many days afterfwards,] my brethren, Oliver Cowdery, Peter
Whitmer, Jr. [,] Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson: Received a command-

1. The text continues for ninety-six pages and then ends abruptly, two
sheets (four pages) following page 96 having been torn out (McKiernan and
Launius 1980, 22).

2. Prior to Whitmer’s call on 8 March 1831, Oliver Cowdery had acted
as Joseph Smith’s secretary and kept a record of church affairs. According to
Whitmer, “Oliver Cowdery has written the commencement of the church his¬
tory, commencing at the time of the finding of the plates, up to June 12th, 1831”
(McKiernan and Launius 1980, 56). The whereabouts of Cowdery’s history is
unknown.

234

JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, CIRCA 1836-1838

ment of the Lord, through Joseph Smith, Jr., to take their journey to the
Lamanites, and preach the gospel of our Lord and Savior, among them, and
establish the church of Christ among them. 3 They journ=eyed as far West as
the State of Ohio; and through the divine influences of the Holy Spirit, by
the assistance of the Lord, they built a branch of the church, in Geauga Co.[,]
State of Ohio, which consisted of about one hundred and thirty members.

And now it came to pass, that before they proceeded, on their journey
from this place, there was a man whose name was Sidney Rigdon, he having
been an instrument in the hands of the Lord of doing much good. He was in
search of truth, consequently he received the fulness of the gospel with
gladness of heart, even the book of Mormon, it being what he was in search
after, notwithstanding it was some days before he obtained a witness from the
Lord, of the truth of his work. After several days the Lord heard his cries, and
answered his prayers, and by vision showed to him that this emanated from
Him and must remain, it being the Fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, first
unto the Gentiles and then unto the Jews.

Now it came to pass, after Sidney Rigdon, 4 5 and <was> received into
this church, that he was ordained an elder, under the hands of Oliver
Cow=dery. :5 He having much anxiety to see Joseph Smith Jr. the Seer whom
the Lord had raised up in these last days. Therefore he took his journey to the
State of New York, where Joseph Resided.

There was another man whose name is Edward Partridge, 6 [p. 2] who
was also desirous, to see the Seer, Therefore, he accompanied Sidney, and
journeyed with him, to behold this man of God, even Joseph Smith Jr. he be¬
ing desirous to know the truth of these things: But not having confidence
enough to inquire at the hand of God. Therefore he sought testimony of
man, and he obtained it, and received the truth and obeyed the divine re¬
quirements, and was also ordained an Elder unto the church, to preach re¬
pentance and remission of Sins, unto this idolatrous generation. 7

Wherefore, after Sidney Rigdon had been at Palmyra a few days he

3. See III.L.22, MISSIONARIES COVENANT, 17 OCT 1830.

4. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), who was evidently baptized on 8
November 1830, see introduction to I.A.13, SIDNEY RIGDON AC¬
COUNT, CIRCA 1836.

5. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

6. On Edward Partridge (1793-1840), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 193.

7. Partridge was baptized about 11 December 1830 in Fayette, New
York, and ordained an elder on the 15th (Cook 1981, 53).

235

JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

proclaimed the gospel, 8 in those regions round about, at which the people
stood trembling and amazed, so powerful were his words, and some obeyed
the gospel and came forth out of the water, rejoicing with Joy which is Un¬
speakable and> full of glory. From thence he journeyed to Fayette, where
Joseph lived, and there he also proclaimed the gospel, and in the regions
round about <and> there were numbers added.

Now in these days Sidney Rigdon was desirous to have the Seer en¬
quire of the Lord, to know what the will of the Lord was concerning him.
Accordingly Joseph enquired of the Lord, and these are the words that were
spoken to him, saying:

[D&C 35; pp. 2-4] 9

Now, after the Lord had made known, what he wanted that his servant
Sidney should do, he went to writing the things which the Lord showed
unto his servant the Seer. The Lord made known, some of the hidden things
of the his kingdom of God ; for he unfolded the prophecy of Enoch the sev¬
enth from Adam. After they had written this prophecy, the Lord spoke to
them again, and gave further directions:

[D&C 37; pp. 4-5]

After the above directions were received, Joseph and Sidney went to
the several churches preaching and prophesying whenever they went, and
greatly strengthened the churches that were built unto the Lord. Joseph
prophesied saying: God is about to destroy this generation, and Christ will
descend from heaven in power and great glory, with all the holy angels with
him, to take vengeance upon the wicked, and they that know not God. Sid¬
ney preached the gospel and proved his words from the holy prophets: and so
powerful were their words, that the people who heard them speak were
amazed, and trembled, and knew not whereunto this thing would grow. The
advisary [adversary] of all righteousness being crafty, and beguiled the peo¬
ple, and stirred them up to anger against the words spoken, and has blinded
their eyes, and is leading them down to darkness, and misery and wo! This
generation abounds, in ignorance, superstition, selfishness, idolatry, and
priestcraft, for this generation is truly led by priests, even hireling priests

8. It is known that Rigdon preached in Palmyra after meeting Smith in
Fayette in early December 1830, but this is the only source to suggest that he
preached in Palmyra on his way to see Smith.

9. The revelations, deleted here, were copied from an 1835 edition of
the Doctrine and Covenants.

236

JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, CIRCA 1836-1838

whose god is the substance of this world’s goods which waxeth old and is be¬
ginning to fade away: who look for their hire every one from his quarter.

Because of the abominations that are abroad in the world, it is hard for
those who receive the fulness of the gospel, and came into the new and ever¬
lasting covenant, <to> get clear of the traditions of their forefathers: and are
to be made to believe the comma=ndments that came forth in these last days
for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, and the salvation of those who
believe.

The time had now come for the general conference to be held. Which
was the first of January 1831. 10 <and> according to this appointment the
saints assembled themselves together. After [p. 5] transacting the necessary
business, Joseph the Seer addressed the congregation, and exhorted them to
stand fast, looking forward considering the end of their salvation. The solem¬
nities of eternity rested on the congregation, and having previously re¬
ceived a revelation to go to Ohio [D&C 37], they desired to know somewhat
more concerning this matter. Therefore] the Seer en=quired of the Lord in
the presence of the whole congregation, and thus came the word of the Lord
saying:

[D&C 38; pp. 6-9]

After the Lord had manifested the above words, through Joseph the
Seer, there were some divisions among the congregation, some would not
receive the above as the word of the Lord: but that Joseph had invented it
himself to deceive the people that in the end he might get gain. 11 Now this
was because, their hearts were not right in the sight of the Lord, for they
wanted to serve God and man; but our Savior has declared that it was impos¬
sible to do so.

The conference was now closed, and the Lord had manifested his will
to his people. Therefore they made preparations to journey to the Ohio,
with their wives, and children and all that they possessed, to obey the com¬
mandment of the Lord. After these things were done Joseph and Sidney went
to Colesville 12 to do the will of the Lord in that part of the land and to

10. It was actually 2 January 1831 at the residence of Peter Whitmer, Sr.,
in Fayette (see VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2
JAN 1831).

11. See III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1828-1831, under 1 Febru¬
ary 1831; and D&C 38:37.

12. If Whitmer is correct that Smith and Rigdon visited Colesville, New
York, in January 1831 before leaving for Ohio, this would be their second visit
to the area, having visited and preached there the previous December (see

237

JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

strengthen the disciples in that part of the vineyard, and preach the gospel to a
hardened and a wicked people, and it is fearful that they are all delivered over
to the hardness of heart and blindness of [mind] [p. 9] so that they cannot be
brought to repentance. For when Sidney and the Revelator arrived there,
they held prayer meetings among the disciples, and they also held public
meetings, but it was all in vain, they threatened to kill them. Therefore, they
knew that they were not fit for the kingdom of God, and well nigh ripe for
destruction. The Spirit of the Lord fell upon Sidney and he spoke with bold¬
ness, and he preached the gospel in its purity; but they laughed him to scorn,
he being filled, with the Holy Spirit, he cried aloud [“]0 ye heav=ens give in
and ye angels attend, I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ that this peo¬
ple is sealed up to everlasting destruction. [”] And immediately he left them
and escaped out of their hands. And his enemies were astonished and amazed
at the doctrine which he preached, for they taught as men having authority
and not as hireling priests.

Afterfwards] Joseph and Sidney returned from Colesville to Fayette.
The Lord manifested himself to Joseph the Revelator and gave command¬
ment for me to go to the Ohio, and carry the commandments and revela¬
tions, with me, to comfort and strengthen my brethren in that Land. 13 ... [p.
10 ]

Permit me here to remark, that David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and
Martin Harris, were the three Witnesses, whose names are attached to the
Book of Mormon according to the prediction of the Book, who knew and
saw, for a surety, into whose presence the angel of God came and showed
them the Plates, the ball, the directors, etc. And also other witnesses even
eight Viz., Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, John Whitmer, Peter
Whitmer, Jr.[,] Hiram Page, Joseph Smith [Sr.], Hyram Smith, and Samuel
H. Smith, are the men to whom Joseph Smith Jr showed the Plates, these
witnesses names go forth also of the truth of this work in the last days. To the
convincing or condemning of this generation in the last day. [p. 26]

IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 8;
IV.D.7, EMILY [COLBURN] AUSTIN AUTOBIOGILAPHY, 1882, 37-38;
and IV.D.5, GEORGE COLLINGTON, SMITH BAKER, HARRIET
MARSH, AND REBECCA NURSE INTERVIEWS WITH FREDERICK
G. MATHER, JUL 1880).

13. On 18 January 1831, the Painesville (Ohio) Telegraph, announced: “A
young man by the name of [John] Whitmer arrived here last week from Man¬
chester, New York, the seat of wonders, with a new batch of revelations from
God, as he pretended, which have just been communicated to Joseph Smith.”

238

JOHN WHITMER TESTIMONY, 1836

John Whitmer, “Address,” hatter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate 2
(March 1836): 286-87, 288.

EDITORIAL NOTE

In June 1835, John Whitmer became editor of the church’s Messenger
and Advocate, published at Kirtland, Ohio (see M&A 1:135-37). In March
1836, he informed readers that “in consequence of other business, and other
duties which call my immediate attention, my labors in the editorial depart¬
ment of this paper must cease for the present” (2:285). In parting, he reaf¬
firmed his testimony as one of the eight Book of Mormon witnesses.

... It may not be amiss in this place, to give a statement to the world
concerning the work of the Lord, as I have been a member of this church of
Latter Day Saints from its beginning; to say that the book of Mormon is a rev¬
elation from God, I have no hesitancy; but with confidence have signed my
name to it as such; and I hope, that my patrons will indulge me in speaking
freely on this subject, as I am about leaving the editorial depart¬
ment—Therefore I desire to testify to all that will come to the knowledge of
this address; that I have most assuredly seen the plates from whence the book
of [p. 286] Mormon is translated, and that I have handled these plates, and
know of a surety that Joseph Smith, jr. has translated the book of Mormon by
the gift and power of God, and in this thing the wisdom of the wise most as¬
suredly has perished: therefore, know ye, O ye inhabitants of the earth,
wherever this address may come, that I have in this thing freed my garments
of your blood, whether you believe or disbelieve the statements of your un¬
worthy friend and well-wisher. ... [p. 287] ...

JOHN WHITMER. [p. 288]

239

John Whitmer Testimony, 1839

Theodore Turley, “Memorandums,” 1845, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Theodore Turley (1801-71) was bom at Birmingham, Warwickshire,
England, converted to Mormonism (jessee 1983, 35, n. 136), and became
the church’s business agent in Far West, Missouri, in 1839. On 4/5 April of
that year, he confronted John Whitmer, who had left the church the previ¬
ous year, and accused him of hypocrisy and faithlessness. In front of acquain¬
tances who were antagonistic to the church, Whitmer reaffirmed his testi¬
mony of the Book of Mormon. Richard L. Anderson comments: “From the
strict point of view of evidence, this report is most impressive. With social
pressure to deny and personal motivation to explain away his experience,
John Whitmer insisted that he had in fact handled the plates” (R. L. Ander¬
son 1981, 131). What Anderson neglected to consider was Whitmer’s quali¬
fication (not quoted by Anderson) that he saw the plates by “a supernatural
power,” which would suggest something other than a normal, physical ex¬
perience. Indeed, it seems to imply that while Whitmer’s handling of the
plates (perhaps in a box or through a covering) was physical, his seeing the
plates was visionary. Turley’s “Memorandums” were used by Thomas Bull¬
ock in writing the official history of the church between February and March
1845 (see Book C-l, 913, History of the Church, LDS Church Archives,
Salt Lake City, Utah; J. Smith 1948, 3:307-8; Searle 1981, 110, 112).

On the 4th 1 April 1839 8 men—Capt. Bogard [Samuel Bogart], <(who
was the Cofunty] Judge)> Dr. Laffity, (John Whitmer and 5 others[)] came
into the committee room and presented to me <Turly> the Messenger and
Advocatef.] one of them opened to the Revelation of July 8, 1838 [D&C
118], to Joseph Smith—that the 12 [apostles] were to take their leave at the
building in Far West on the 26th April to go to the “Isles of the Sea—” and
asked him to read it. f <Turly> said, “Gentlemen, I am well acquainted with

1. Joseph Smith’s history dates this event to 5 April 1839 (see J. Smith
1948, 3:307-8).

240

JOHN WHITMER TESTIMONY, 1839

it.” they said, “then you as a rational man will give up Joseph Smith being a
prophet and an inspired man. now he, and the twelve are scattered all over
the creation, let them come here if they dare, if they do they will be mur¬
dered. as that revelation cannot be fulfilled, you will now give up your faith.”
f <Turly> jumped up and said “in the name of God that revelation will be
fulfilled.” they laughed him to scorn. John Whitmer hung down his head,
they said “if they (the 12) come they will get murdered, they dare not come
to take their leave here, that is like all the rest of Joe Smiths d<amne>d
prophecies.” they commenced on me <Turly> and said f <he> had better
do as John f-J Corrill 2 has done he is going to publish a book called Mormon-
ism fairly delineated 3 [.] he is a sensible man and you had better assist him.” I
<Turly> said [“]Gentlemen[,] I presume there are men here who have heard
Corrill say—‘Mormonism’ was true, Joseph Smith was a prophet and in¬
spired of God &c. I now call upon you, John Whitmer. you say Corrill is a
moral and good man[.] do you believe him when he says <the Book of>
Mormon is true, or when [he says] it is not true, there are a many things pub¬
lished that they say is true, and again turn round and say it is false.” [John]
Whitmer asked[,] [“]do you hint at me?[”] I said <Turly replied>, “if the cap
fits you[,] wear it.” all I know, you have published to the world that an angel
did present those plates to Joseph Smith.” and-he-said <Whitmer replied> “I
now say [p. 2] I handled those plates, there was fine engravings on both sides.
I handled them.” and he described how they were hung[,] [“]and they were
shown to me by a supernatural power. [”] he acknowledged all. f <Turly>
asked him[,] [“]why the translation is not <now> true?[”] he said[,] “I can¬
not read it [in the original] and I do not know whether it [i.e., the translation]
is true or not. ” he < Whitmer> testified all this in the presence of 8 men....

2. John Corrill (1794-1843) was born at Barre, Worcester County, Mas¬
sachusetts. He was living in Harpersville, Ashtabula County, Ohio, when he
converted to Mormonism in 1830. The following year, he moved to Jackson
County, Missouri, where he served as second counselor to Bishop Edward Par¬
tridge. Following John Whitmer’s apostasy in 1838, he was appointed Church
Historian. He diedat Quincy, Illinois (Jessee 1989, 480-81; Cook 1981,68-69).

3. Instead, Corrill published A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter
Day Saints ... (St. Louis, Missouri: by the Author, 1839).

241

John Whitmer to Mark h. forscutt,

5 MARCH 1876

John Whitmer to Mark H. Forest [Forscutt], 5 March 1876, Whitmer Pa¬
pers, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Mark H. Forscutt (1834-1903) was born at Godmanchester, England,
converted to Mormonism, and in 1860 immigrated to Utah, where he
served as a private secretary to Brigham Young for four years. On 1 January
1865, Forscutt was baptized into the RLDS Church and resided in Plano, Il¬
linois, until 1872, then at Canton, Illinois, to 1876, and moved to Nebraska
City, Nebraska, in September 1876, where he remained until 1879. He lived
briefly in Shenandoah, Iowa, and St. Joseph, Missouri, then Nebraska City
again beginning in 1895. He is remembered for editing the RLDS hymnal
and authoring several of its songs. He died in Nebraska City ( Saints’ Herald,
50:1046, 81:399; Smith, Smith, and Edwards 1968, 6:78-79).

In 1876 he wrote a letter of inquiry, evidently from Canton, Illinois, to
John Whitmer in Far West, Missouri. At the end of the letter Whitmer wrote
in response, a statement by E. C. Brand was attached testifying that the Book
of Mormon witness had remained true to his testimony (see “John Whitmer
Addendum” for Brand’s statement).

Far West March 5, [18]76
Mark H Forest / Esq.

Dear Sir[:] Yours came duly to hand 4. Inst, and the contents consid¬
ered.

I hasten to answer according to best of my information at hand.

Mrs. Cowdery 1 Resides some place in Colorado. The address is mis¬
laid, or I would give it.

However, I think I am able to answer your inquiries to your satisfaction
Oliver Cowdery lived in Richmond Mo. some 40 miles from here at

1. On Oliver Cowdery’s widow, Elizabeth Ann (Whitmer) Cowdery
(1815-92), see LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 106.

242

TO MARK H. FORSCUTT, 5 MARCH 1876

the time of his Death. I went to see him and was with him for some days pre¬
vious to his demise.

I have Never heard him deny the truth of his testimony of the [p. 1]
Book of Mormon under any circumstances what ever.

I have no knowledge that there was any effort made to force him to
deny the Book of Mormon. Neither do I believe that he would have denied
at the peril of his life, so firm was he that he could not be moved to deny what
he has affirmed to be <a> divine Revelation from God.

I desire to do good when it is in my power. I have never heard that any
one of the three, or eight witnesses ever denied the testimony that they have
borne to the Book as published in the first edition of the Book of Mormon

There are only two of the witnesses to that Book now living to wit. Da¬
vid Whitmer 2 one of the three and [myself,] John Whitmerf,] one [p. 2] of
the eight

Our names have gone forth to all Nations tongues and People as a Di¬
vine Revelation from God. And it will bring to pass the designs of God ac¬
cording to the declaration there=in contained, Sec.

Yours Respectfully,
[s] John Whitmer

2. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

243

5 .

JOHN WHITMER TO HEMAN C. SMITH,
11 December 1876

John Whitmer to Heman C. Smith, 11 December 1876, Artificial Collec¬
tion, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri. 1

EDITORIAL NOTE

Heman C. Smith (1850-1919), son of Spencer and Anna C. (Wright)
Smith, was born at Zodiac, Texas, and was baptized into the RLDS Church
on 7 October 1862, ordained an apostle on 30 March 1888, and appointed
Church Historian in 1897. He was released from the Apostleship in April
1909 and later died at Independence, Missouri ( Saints' Herald, 66:285-86).

Far West, December 11th [18]76

H. C. Smith Esq.

Dear Sir: Your letter came to hand, and your requests considered. First.
As for giving all particulars that I know of the Book of Mormon, could not be
written on one sheet of paper; therefore, permit me to be brief.

Second. From what you have written, I conclude you have read the
Book of Mormon, together with the testimonies that are thereto attached; in
which testimonies you read my name subscribed as one of the Eight wit¬
nesses to said Book. That testimony was , is, and will be true henceforth and
forever.

Respectfully yours
John Whitmer

1. Whitmer’s letter to Heman C. Smith was published in Smith and
Smith 1897-1903, 1:57.

244

6 .

JOHN WHITMER TESTIMONY, 1878

“I. C. Funn,” [John Whitmer Testimony], Kingston (MO) Sentinel, ca. Janu¬
ary 1878, reprinted in the Saints' Herald 25 (15 February 1878): 57.

EDITORIAL NOTE

An unknown writer who signed his name “I. C. Funn,” reported on a
public discourse in which John Whitmer affirmed his testimony of the Book
of Mormon. The Herald stated that the item was reprinted from the King¬
ston, Missouri, Sentinel, which probably refers to the Caldwell County Sentinel
published at Kingston, Missouri. Because surviving copies of this paper are
extremely rare, I have been unable to locate the original article. That
Whitmer delivered a speech on 13 January 1878 is verified in an independent
letter also published in the Saints' Herald 25 (15 February 1878): 58.

The reporting seems distorted without separating Whitmer’s special
testimony from the times he “often handled” the plates, which probably re¬
fers to occasions when Smith allowed certain persons to handle the plates
covered by a cloth or in a box. Moreover, it does not refer directly to the oc¬
casion on which Whitmer became a special witness to the Book of Mormon
plates, nor does it credit Whitmer’s description of the plates to his personal
experience.

We were down to the Whitmer school-house to preaching on last Sab¬
bath at eleven o’clock. Mr. John Whitmer delivered the discourse. It will be
remembered by a great many readers, that Mr. Whitmer is one of only two
now living that helped (were witnesses) to the translation of the Book of
Mormon, or generally known as the Mormon Bible. Mr. Whitmer is consid¬
ered a truthful, honest and law abiding citizen by this community, and con¬
sequently, his appointment drew out a large audience. Mr. Whitmer stated
that he had often handled the identical golden plates which Mr. Smith re¬
ceived from the hand of the angel, he said it was of pure gold, part of the book
was sealed up solid, the other part was open and it was this part which was
translated, and is termed to-day the Mormon Bible. This is the first time Mr.
Whitmer has attempted to preach for a good many years; and time, who
waits for no one, has written many a furrow upon his brow. He is upwards of
sixty years old, and gave some good advice to both old and young. Before
closing he asked the audience if they would take the Book of Mormon and

245

JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

the Bible and compare them, and to take Paul’s rule, “To prove all things and
hold fast to that which is good,” in comparing them.

I. C. FUNN.

John Whitmer Interview with

P. WILHELM POULSON,

APRIL 1878

P. Wilhelm Poulson to Editors, 31 July 1878, Deseret Evening News, 6 August
1878.

EDITORIAL NOTE

John Whitmer was dead when this account was published. It should be
remembered that John’s brother David questioned the accuracy ofPoulson’s
interview with him the same year (see VI.A.6, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH P. WILHELM POULSON, CIRCA APR 1878). In
fact, portions ofPoulson’s account conflict with other more reliable sources
(see notations below).

Ovid City, Idaho,
July 31, 1878.

Editors Deseret News :

I received, today, a letter from Miss Sarah Whitmer, 1 at Far West, Mis¬
souri, in which she informs me about the death of her father, John Whitmer,
Esq., one of the eight witnesses to the plates from which the Book of Mor¬
mon is translated. She writes:

“I seat myself to a painful task, this morning to inform you of the death
of my dear father, who departed earthlife, the 11th day of this month (July).
Father’s disease was congestion of the lungs, heart and stomach. He died very
easy. I have the great consolation in knowing that he was prepared to meet
his God.

“He asked only a few days before his death when I thought you would
come. He always felt so very anxious only to see you again.

“I visited Richmond directly after the storm, and it was a sad-looking

1. Sarah Elizabeth born to John and Sarah (Jackson) Whitmer on 5 Octo¬
ber 1837 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She married James Edward Johnson in
1856 and C. W. Kerr in 1882 (Family Group Record, Family History Library,
Salt Lake City, Utah).

247

JOHN WHITMER COLLECTION

sight to behold. Uncle David (David Whitmer, 2 one of the three witnesses,)
has about recovered from his injuries, and is out once more on the street.”

So far from Sarah Whitmer’s letter. I visited this last one of the eight
witnesses in April this year, at his fine residence at Far West. On John’s farm is
located the foundation of [the] Far West Temple, and the cornerstone is laid
of gray sandstone. A short distance from John Whitmer’s residence we dis¬
cover the house in which the Prophet Joseph Smith dwelt with his family,
and in the adjoining county is the beautiful valley, Adam-ondi-Ahman. John
Whitmer received me as a dear father would receive a son, and answered
readily all my questions. I said: I am aware that your name is affixed to the tes¬
timony in the Book of Mormon, that you saw the plates?

He—It is so, and that testimony is true.

I—Did you handle the plates with your hands?

He—I did so!

I—Then they were a material substance?

He—Yes, as material as anything can be.

I—They were heavy to lift?

He—Yes, and as you know gold is a heavy metal, they were very heavy.

I—How big were the leaves?

He—So far as I recollect, 8 by 6 or 7 inches.

I—Were the leaves thick?

He—Yes, just so thick, that characters could be engraven on both sides.

I—How were the leaves joined together?

He—In three rings, each one in the shape of a D with the straight line
towards the centre.

I—In what place did you see the plates.

He—In Joseph Smith’s house; he had them there. 3

I—Did you see them covered with a cloth?

He—No. He handed them uncovered into our hands, and we turned
the leaves sufficient to satisfy us.

2. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

3. Poulson’s account is not only unique but contradicted by other
sources. Lucy Smith, for example, said: “They all[,] that is the male part of the
company[,] repaired to a little grove where it was custom=ary for the family to
offer up their secret prayers, as Joseph had been instructed that the plates would
be carried there by one of the ancient Nephites. Here <it> was that those 8 wit¬
nesses recorded in the Book of Mormon looked upon the plates and handled
them of which they bear witness” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS:102).

248

INTERVIEW WITH P. WILHELM POULSON, 1878

I—Were you all eight witnesses present at the same time?

He—No. At that time Joseph showed the plates to us, we were four
persons, present in the room, and at another time he showed them to four
persons more. 4

John Whitmer was about 77 years of age. He told me that he should not
live and see the coming of Christ nor the restoration of Zion in Jackson
County, Mo. That Joseph Smith gave him once the following blessing:

“Thou shall live to good old age, and shall walk over the ashes of all thy
enemies. Then you shall sleep with your fathers, and meet the Lord, when he
cometh in the clouds.”

Now, said John Whitmer, I have lived to a good old age, and I have
walked over the ashes of every single one of all my enemies.

We say farewell to one of those who wrote part of the Book of Mor¬
mon from the dictation of the Prophet’s voice and one of the eight witnesses.
He was firm as a rock in his faith, and when Joseph Smith [III], living in Plano
[Illinois], sent word to John Whitmer to reaffirm his testimony, his answer
was: “I have never recalled it, and I have nothing to reaffirm.”

In regard to joining the Church, he said, “I have a testimony within
me, that testimony I got when I was raised up as a witness—that testimony
has never left my bosom, it is by me to this day, and I am in the very place
where I have to be, according to the Book of Mormon, which is the law that
came out from Zion, which center stake is never to be taken away from here,
in Jackson County, Mo.” He had a firm and most absolute faith in the resto¬
ration and triumph of Zion on this continent, and the building of temples in
Independence and Far West, Mo.

John Whitmer was in possession of copies from the plates, with the
translation below, and showed that to me, 5 and also of other valuable records.
I shall correspond with Sarah Whitmer, and hope she will be willing, with
the permission of David Whitmer, to restore those documents to the
Church.

Yours truly,

P. Wilhelm Poulson, M.D.

4. This is the only known claim that the eight viewed the plates on sepa¬
rate occasions.

5. If Poulson refers to the Anthon transcript, there is presently no docu¬
ment with an English translation below the characters, and there probably never
was (V.E.2, BOOK OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-FEB
1828). Charles Anthon specifically said that “no translation had been furnished
(V.D.2, CHARLES ANTHON TO E. D. HOWE, 17 FEB 1841).

249

JOHN WHITMER ADDENDUM

The following is a collection ofjohn Whitmer’s statements about early

Mormonism or reiterations of his testimony of the Book of Mormon that are

too brief to warrant special treatment.

1. John Whitmer Testimony, 7 June 1835.

“Elder John Whitmer took the lead in the services of the afternoon, and
gave a short relation of the facts connected with the translation of the
book of Mormon. On reflecting how many foolish reports are in circu¬
lation on this subject, and how many there are who are vain enough to
believe them, I could not but wish that such were present, while Elder
Whitmer was delivering his address. A thousand things may be conjec¬
tured, but when a man declares openly, candidly, and seriously, of what
he has seen, hefted and handled with his own hands, and that in the pres¬
ence of a God who sees and knows the secrets of the heart, no man pos¬
sessed of common reason and common sense, can doubt, or will be so
vain as to dispute” (Oliver Cowdery, Conference Report, Messenger and
Advocate 1 [June 1835]: 143).

2. John Whitmer Interview with E. C. Brand, 1875.

“I visited Mr John Whitmer at his residence at Far West, Caldwell Co.,
Mo., on the 18th of February, 1875. He also bore his testimony to me
concerning the truth, and declared that his testimony, as found in the
‘Testimony ofEight Witnesses,’ in the Book of Mormon, is strictly true.
He showed me a facsimile of the characters of the plates, copied from
the plates in the handwriting ofjoseph Smith. Both of these men (David
and John) are respectable, and looked up to as truthful, honorable men,
in the vicinity where they live. The above is a brief and correct statement
of my interview with them” (“Visit of E. C. Brand to John Whitmer,”
18 February 1875, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independ¬
ence, Missouri. This statement is apparently in the hand of E. C. Brand
and appears at the end of the letter ofjohn Whitmer to Mark H. Fors-
cutt, 5 March 1876; see VI.B.4, JOHN WHITMER TO MARK H.
FORSCUTT, 5 MAR 1876).

3. John Whitmer Interview with William Lewis and Others, 1877.

“[W]e called to see Father John Whitmer. ... Father Whitmer says that

250

ADDENDUM

he hopes that God will give him strength to stand firm to the testimony”
(William Lewis to Editors, 29 November 1877, Saints’ Herald 24 [15
December 1877]: 381).

4. John Whitmer Interview with Myron H. Bond, Winter 1877-78.

“ [0]ld Father Whitmer told me last winter, with tears in his eyes, that he
knew as well as he knew he had an existence that Joseph translated the
ancient writing which was upon the plates, which he ‘saw and handled,’
and which, as one of the scribes, he helped to copy, as the words fell from
Joseph’s lips, by supernatural or almighty power” (Myron H. Bond to
Editors, 2 August 1878, Saints’ Herald 25 [15 August 1878]: 253).

5. John C. Whitmer Reminiscence, 13 September 1888.

When interviewed by Andrew Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and Joseph
S. Black, John C. Whitmer, son ofjacob Whitmer, said: “Of my Uncle
John (Whitmer) I will say that I was with him a short time before he died
at Far West, Missouri, when he confirmed to me what he had done so
many times previously that he knew the Book of Mormon was true” (An¬
drew Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and Joseph S. Black to Editor, Deseret
News, 17 September 1888, 2; rept. Saints’ Herald 35 [13 October 1888]:
651).

6. Philander Page Reminiscence, 1907.

After visiting with Philander Page, son of Hiram Page, in 1907, George
Edward Anderson recorded in his diary: “[Philander Page was] With
John Whitmer during his last sickness, about a week. [Whitmer] Was
firm to his testimony of the Book of Mormon, and it was frequently re¬
ferred to during his last illness” (Diary, 28, Daughters of Utah Pioneers
Museum, Salt Lake City, Utah, cited in Holzapfel, Cottle, and Stoddard
1995,70).

251

jVliscell

1 .

Hiram page to William e. mclellin,

30 MAY 1847

Hiram Page to William E. McLellin, 30 May 1847, Ensign of Liberty
(Kirtland, Ohio) 1 (January 1848): 63.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Hiram Page (1800-52), a physician and farmer, was born in Vermont
and at some point moved to Fayette, where he married Catherine Whitmer,
daughter of Peter Whitmer, Sr., on 10 November 1825. In June 1829, he be¬
came one of the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon, but was not bap¬
tized until 11 April 1830. On 9 June 1830, he received his teacher’s license.
For a time he received revelations through a seer stone, which Joseph Smith
denounced as Satanic (D&C 28). He moved to Ohio in 1831, then to Mis¬
souri in 1832, where he was probably ordained a high priest. After 1836 he
located at Far West, Missouri, and following the excommunication of several
of the Whitmer family in 1838, withdrew from the church. Soon after, Page
located himself on a farm near Excelsior Springs, Ray County, Missouri,
where he remained until his death (Cook 1981,40). In the following letter to
William E. McLellin, 1 dated 30 May 1847, he reaffirms his testimony of the
Book of Mormon, although he fails to give details of the event.

RAY COUNTY, MO., May 30, [18]47.

Bro. William :—Yours of May 4th, came to hand the 28th, and it is so
full of questions, and of such magnitude, that my little sheet will only give
room for an introduction, and the plain simple truth is always the best with¬
out exaggeration. ...

In the next place, you want to know my faith relative to the book of
Mormon, and the winding up of wickedness. As to the book of Mormon, it
would be doing injustice to myself, and to the work of God of the last days, to
say that I could know a thing to be true in 1830, and know the same thing to
be false in 1847. To say my mind was so treacherous that I had forgotten what
I saw. To say that a man of Joseph’s ability, who at that time did not know

1. On William E. McLellin (1806-83), see introduction to III.K. 10,
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO SAMUEL MCLELLIN, 4 AUG 1832.

255

MISCELLANEOUS WHITMER FAMILY COLLECTION

how to pronounce the word Nephi, could write a book of six hundred pages,
as correct as the book of Mormon, without supernatural power. And to say
that those holy Angels who came and showed themselves to me as I was
walking through the field, to confirm me in the work of the Lord of the last
days—three of whom came to me afterwards and sang an hymn in their own
pure language 2 ; yea, it would be treating the God of heaven with contempt,
to deny these testimonies, with too many others to mention here. ...

I am yours in the bonds of truth.

HIRAM PAGE.

2. It is unknown what event Page alludes to here.

256

HIRAM PAGE TO WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN,
2 FEBRUARY 1848

Hiram Page to William E. McLellin, 2 February 1848, typescript, Accretion
Papers, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The original letter of Hiram Page, 1 which became part of the RLDS
Church’s Library-Archives in the 1930s, was stolen about 1985. The RLDS
archives recently obtained a photocopy of the original letter from a private
researcher, from which the following transcription was prepared.

Fishingriver [Missouri], Feb. 2, 1848

Brother Wm: 2

I feel it my duty at least to answer your letter of Dec. 30th which I have
had the pleasure of perusing and another directed to me and David of Jan.
16th, 1848 but I feel it my duty to answer that of Jan. 16th as that is of the
most importance. I received your last the 12th of Feb. and we held council
on the 13th[,] it was solemn and the powers of darkness were dispersed and
the subject of your letter was fairly investigated.

... when Joseph was first visited by the angel and had the promise of the
plates, it was told him no one should have them to get gain and in
concequence of not being satisfied with wisdom from on high by the mouth
of the angel he was deprived of the privilege of obtaining those plates for 2
years. 3 here we find Joseph erred by his over anxious desire for filthy lucre,
again we find in conciquence of the same caus[e] he lost the 116 pages of the
first of his translating, 4 he did not think of the Savors admonition; take no

1. On Hiram Page (1800-1852), see introduction to VI.C.l, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

2. On William E. McLellin (1806-1883), see introduction to III.K.10,
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO SAMUEL MCLELLIN, 4 AUG 1832.

3. It was actually four years, 1823-27. A similar error was made by John
Corrill in his Brief History published in 1839, wherein he states that Joseph Smith
first visited the hill in 1825 and obtained the plates a “year or more” later in 1827
(Corrill 1839, 12).

4. See III.L.16, BOOK OF MORMON PFTFACE, 1829.

257

MISCELLANEOUS WHITMER FAMILY COLLECTION

thought what ye shall eat or drink, &c Matt 6:25. This was an error in him
althofugh] it was a permit [was permitted] by revelation as also that of going
to Canada. 5 here it may be necesary to look at the way and manor in which
revelation [s] are received, it was said to Oliver 6 that he should not seek for
riches of this world but for wisdom (book of commandments 5—3) [D&C
6:6-7] the same was said to Hyram Smith 7 [D&C 11:7]; it was said to Joseph
that in temporal labor thou shalt not have strength[,] for this is not thy calling;
(B.C. 25—14) [D&C 24:9] we see that he was not to medle with temporal
afairs except being steward over his own; for the church was to provide for
him for food, for rament for shoes, &c. his calling was not to act in temporal
labor; but we find a degression from this in the case of the Canada affair
Joseph he[a]rd that there was a chance to sell a copyright in Canada for
any useful book that was used in the Statesf.] Joseph thought this would be a
good opertunity to get a handsomfe] Sum of money which was to be (after
the expencis were taken out) for the exclusive benefit of the Smith famaly
and was to be at the disposal ofJoseph[.] accordingly Oliver Cowdery[,] Jo¬
seph Knights, 8 Hiram Page and Joseah Stoel [Josiah Stowell] 9 were chosen (as
I understood by revilation) to do the buisaness; we were living some 30 to
100 miles apart[.] the necesary preporation was made (by them) in a Sly
manor So as to keep martin Har[r]is 10 from drawing a Share of the money, it
was told me we were to go by revilation but when we assembled at father
Smiths; there was no revilation for us to go but we were all anctious to get a
revilation to go; and when it came we were to go to kingston where we were
to Sell if they would not harden their hearts; but when we got their; there
was no purcheser neither were they authorized at kingston to buy rights for
the provence; but little york was the place where Such buisaness had to be
done; we were to get 8,000 dollarsf.] we were treated with the best of re¬
spects by all we met with in kingston—by the above we may See learn how a

5. See n. 11 below.

6. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-1850), see “Introduction to Oliver Cow-
dery Collection.”

7. On Hyrum Smith (1800-1844), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

8. On Joseph Knight, Sr. (1772-1847), see introduction to IV.A.l, JO¬
SEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847.

9. On Josiah Stowell (1770-184?), see introduction to IV.B.2, MAR¬
THA CAMPBELL TO JOSEPH SMITH, 19 DEC 1843.

10. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

258

HIRAM PAGE TO WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN, 1848

revilation may be rece[i]ved and the one person receiving it not be bene¬
fited. 11 ...

This letter is to be continued in ano[t]h[e]r w[h]ich I think will fill 2
sheats we say [w]e think it advisable that the [b]rether[in] [-] not [-] of the
sacrement till you rece[i]ve the n[e]xt letter; pleasfe] read this to all the
bretharin & in peticular to brother Martin Haris he can testafy to the truth of
some things here in mentioned which perhaps you may be ignorant of, you
need not be disapointed if in our next there should be a mistory [mystery] re¬
vealed which [ha]s serpased anything that has ever been made known to the
church in these last days, our fr[i]ends are all well the[y] would like to see bro.
Wm. and bro. Martin Sc all of our friends in Kirtland.

In gospel ties
Hiram Page

11. Cf. VI.A.29, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA
(NE) HERALD, 10 OCT 1886; VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS,
1887, 30-31; VI.F.10, WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH, III,
JUL Sc SEP 1872; and VI.F.12, J. L. TRJVUGHBER TO [JAMES T. COBB?],
CIRCA 1881. Hiram Page may have had connections in Canada (Cook 1981,
40). His statement that the so-called “Canadian Revelation” sent them in the
wrong direction, that they should have gone to Toronto, over 160 miles from
Kingston, “where such buisaness had to be done,” is probably inaccurate. Ac¬
cording to Edith G. Firth, head of the Canadian History Department, Metropol¬
itan Toronto Library Board, “there was no special office for the sale of copy¬
rights in York (Toronto) in 1830. The first Canadian copyright act in effect in
Ontario was not passed until 1841; before that time, British copyright legislation
was in force. Actually, pirated editions were published on both sides of the bor¬
der for many years in the absence of an international copyright agreement. Only
British subjects’ copyright was protected by British law. An American citizen
could of course come to York and offer his copyright for sale to anyone, but it is
doubtful if he would find many buyers” (Edith G. Firth to Dan Vogel, 10 June
1981). McLellin claimed to have read a copy of the revelation, apparently in the
possession of Martin Harris. The date of the Canadian trip is difficult to deter¬
mine, but it apparently occurred during the winter of 1829-30. Page’s statement
that the revelation was dictated by Joseph Smith at “father Smiths” might point
to January 1830 when Smith was brought to Palmyra/Manchester to settle diffi¬
culties with Abner Cole, or perhaps February 1830 when Lucy Smith remem¬
bered a second visit from Joseph (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS: 113-14). David Whitmer believed the trip occurred while “the Book of
Mormon was in the hands of the printer,” between August 1829 and March
1830 (VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS , 1887, 30). John L. Traugh-
ber, who reported information from David Whitmer and William E. McLellin,
said the trip occurred “early in 1830” and that “the boys went over on the ice”
(VI.F.12, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO [JAMES T. COBB?], CIRCA 1881).

259

Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery
Affidavit, 15 February 1870

William E. McLellin to “My Dear Friends,” February 1870, Miscellaneous
Letters and Papers, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence,
Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 15 February 1870, Elizabeth Ann (Whitmer) Cowdery (1815-
1892), 1 younger sister of David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery’s widow,
prepared an affidavit regarding the translation of the Book of Mormon. That
same month, William E. McLellin 2 quoted the affidavit in a letter to friends.
Unfortunately, the affidavit is lost, and McLellin’s is the only known copy. In
addition, the bottom half of the letter is missing beginning at the fold. Two
years later, McLellin mentioned Elizabeth’s affidavit again (VI.F.10, WIL¬
LIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH, III, JUL & SEP 1872). In the
first letter, McLellin introduced the affidavit with the fohowing: “Last Tues¬
day, I went to visit David [Whitmer] again in Richmond and found him as
well as usual for him. ... I stayed in Richmond two days and nights. I had a
great deal of talk with widow Cowdry and her amiable daughter. She [Eliza¬
beth’s daughter] is married to a Dr. Johnson. But has no children. She [Eliza¬
beth] gave me a certificate and this is a copy. ...”

Richmond, Ray Co., Mo. Feb 15th 1870—I cheerfully certify that I
was familiar with the manner of Joseph Smith’s translating the book of Mor¬
mon. He translated the most of it at my Father’s house. And I often sat by and
saw and heard them translate and write for hours together. Joseph never had a
curtain drawn between him and his scribe while he was translating. He
would place the director in his hat, and then place f-J his <face in his> hat, so
as to exclude the light, and then [read?] to his scribe the words (he said) as
they appeared before him. ...

1. On Elizabeth Ann (Whitmer) Cowdery, see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 106.

2. On William E. McLellin (1806-1883), see introduction to III.K.10,
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO SAMUEL MCLELLIN, 4 AUG 1832.

260

JOHN C. WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH

Andrew Jenson and Edward Stevenson,
11 OCTOBER 1888

1. Andrew Jenson, “Still Another Witness,” Historical Record 7 (Octo¬
ber 1888): 621.

2. Edward Stevenson, “The Thirteenth Witness to the Plates of the
Book of Mormon,” Juvenile Instructor 24 (1 January 1889): 23.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 11 October 1888, Andrew Jenson 1 and Edward Stevenson 2 visited
John C. Whitmer, son ofjacob Whitmer, and interviewed him. John related
the experience of his grandmother Mary Musselman Whitmer (1778-
1856), 3 wife of Peter Whitmer, Sr., who said she saw the angel with the gold
plates shortly after Joseph Smith’s arrival in Fayette in June 1829. In the two
accounts which follow, Jenson and Stevenson separately report their inter¬
view.

\1. Andrew Jenson Version]

“I [John C. Whitmer] have heard my grandmother (Mary Mfussel-
man]. Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the
Book of Mormon by an holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi.
(She undoubtedly refers to Moroni, the angel who had the plates in charge.)
It was at the time, 4 she said, when the translation was going on at the house of

1. Andrew Jenson (1850-1941) was born in Torslev parish, Hjorring,
Denmark. His parents were converted to Mormonism in 1854 and immigrated
to Salt Lake City in 1866. He was employed by the Church Historian’s Office in
1891 and sustained as Assistant Church Historian in 1898 (Jenson 1971,
1:261-63; 3:752-53).

2. On Edward Stevenson (1802-97), see introduction to I.A.9, JOSEPH
SMITH RECITAL TO PONTIAC (MI) SAINTS, OCT 1834.

3. On Mary Musselman Whitmer (1778-1856), see I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 101.

4. June 1829.

261

MISCELLANEOUS WHITMER FAMILY COLLECTION

the elder Peter Whitmer, 5 her husband. Joseph Smith and his wife 6 and Oli¬
ver Cowdery, 7 whom David Whitmer 8 a short time previous had brought up
from Harmony, Pennsylvania, were all boarding with the Whitmers, and my
grandmother in having so many extra persons to care for, besides her own
large household, was often overloaded with work to such an extent that she
felt it to be quite a burden. One evening, when (after having done her usual
day’s work in the house) she went to the barn to milk the cows, she met a
stranger carrying something on his back that looked like a knapsack. At first
she was a little afraid of him, but when he spoke to her in a kind, friendly
tone, and began to explain to her the nature of the work which was going on
in her house, she was filled with unexpressible joy and satisfaction. He then
untied his knapsack and showed her a bundle of plates, which in size and ap¬
pearance corresponded with the description subsequently given by the wit¬
ness to the Book of Mormon. This strange person turned the leaves of the
book of plates over, leaf after leaf, and also showed her the engravings upon
them; after which he told her to be patient and faithful in bearing her burden
a little longer, promising that if she would do so, she should be blessed; and
her reward would be sure, if she proved faithful to the end. The personage
then suddenly vanished with the plates, and where he went, she could not
tell. From that moment my grandmother was enabled to perform her house¬
hold duties with comparative ease, and she felt no more inclination to mur¬
mur because her lot was hard. I knew my grandmother to be a good, noble
and truthful woman, and I have not the least doubt of her statement in regard
to seeing the plates being strictly true. She was a strong believer in the Book
of Mormon until the day of her death.”

[2. Edward Stevenson Version]

“My grandmother told me that the strange visitor met her as she was
going to milk the cows. At first she was afraid of him, but he spoke so kindly
to her, explaining to her the nature of the work of translation to go on in her
house, that she felt a thrill of inexpressible joy, which removed all fear from

5. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

6. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

7. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

8. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

262

JOHN C. WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW JENSON, 1888

her. Comforting words were spoken promising her strength and pleasure in
her increased labors, and salvation at the end. Moroni took from his knapsack
the plates and exhibited them as already explained by David. 9 The personage
then suddenly vanished with the plates, and where he went, she could not
tell. From that time my grandmother was enabled to perform her household
duties with comparative ease, feeling no inclination to murmur because her
lot was a hard one.”

John also said: “I knew my grandmother to be a good, noble truthful
woman, and I have not the least doubt of the truth of her statement in regard
to seeing the plates.”

9. In the same article, David Whitmer is reported as having said in 1887:
“My mother went to the barn to milk the cows, where she met a mysterious per¬
sonage who showed her the golden plates, turning them over leaf by leaf, with
the exception of a portion of them which were fastened together with rings (the
sealed part of the plates)” (p. 22).

263

Miscell

Lucius Fenn to Birdseye Bronson,
12 FEBRUARY 1830

Lucius Fenn to Birdseye Bronson, 12 February 1830, William Robertson
Coe Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manu¬
script Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Lucius Fenn (or Finn), a native of Connecticut, is listed in the 1860
census of Covert, Seneca County, New York, as a seventy-seven-year-old
farmer. Birdseye (or Birdsey) Bronson, son of Isaac Bronson, was born on 16
June 1801. According to the Annals and Family Records of Winchester, “He
[Bronson] owned and occupied the house at the corner of the Norfold road
and Westerbury turnpike, until his removal to New London, where both he
and his wife died not far from 1840” (Boyd 1873, 111).

The present letter is important because “it is the oldest known contem¬
porary evidence, other than newspaper notices, of the rumors that preceded
the appearance of the Book of Mormon itself’ (Mulder and Mortensen
1958, 27). Fenn’s letter is written on a folio sheet folded lengthways to make
four pages. The text appears on the first and third pages, while the second
page is blank and the fourth contains the following address: “Covert NY /
Feb 12 / Mr Birdseye Bronson / Winchester / Litchfield County / State of
Connecticut / To be left at Samuel Hurlbuts office / Winchester Centre.” It
is not known if Hurlbut was the post master or simply someone with a con¬
veniently located office in the downtown area. Fenn’s letter was published
by William Mulder and A. Russell Mortensen in 1958 with corrections
(1958, 27-29; a typed copy also appears in the Stanley S. Ivins Collection,
Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah).

Covert February 12 1830

Dear Sir

I have been very anxious to hear from Winchester this some time but I
do not expect to unless I write first. ... it is always the case in every place there
is som[e]thing to make hard feelings; we have had some trouble in this State
for 2 or 3 years back[.] freemasonry has done som[e]thing or the freemasons
here made a great deal of trouble and talk for som[e]<time> past and it has
come to that we do not have any of them in any kind of office not even and in

267

MISCELLANEOUS EARLY SOURCES

some churches they have turned them out of the churchf.] 1 but it has at pres¬
ent not been the Subject as much as has been[.] they have now som[e]thing
else to talk about[.] now the subject is this[:] the cold sober societys are now
the conversations [.] know [now] I think myself that there is need enough of
them[.] we think that it has done good and we are in hopes that it will do
more for I think that it is of a very gr[e]at importence and there ought to be
som[e] thing done to stop the progress of intemperance [,] for it has gone to a
gr[e]at extent in this Country and we hope that we shall in some measure
stop its progress[.] this will do for a while and this will be and [an] old story
and then we will try som[e]thing else[.] there is somfe]thing that has taken
place lately that is mysterious to us[.] it is this[:] there has been a bible found
by 3 men but a short distance from us which is somfe]thing remarkable we
think, there was it is said an an angel appeared to these 3 men and told them
that there was a bible concealed in such a place and if one of them would go
to that place he would find it[.] 2 he went and found as the angel said[.] it was a
stone chestf.] [p. 1] what is most to be wondered at is this that the man that
found it could not read at all in the english language but he read this bible and
nobody else cannotf.] it has been concealed there for fourteen hundred
years[.] it is written on a kind of gold leaf[.] it is the same that ours is only
there is an addition to it[.] they are a printing it in Palmyra[.] it is expected
that it <will> come out soon so that we can see it[.] 3 it speaks of the
Millenniam day and tells when it is a going to take plais [place] and it tells that
the man that is to find this bible his name as [is] Joseph and his fathers name is
Joseph, some people think that it is all a speculation and some think that
som[e]thing is a going to take place different from what has been[.] for my
part I do not know how it will be but it is som[e]thing singular to me. as it re¬
spects religion there has been considerable of an attention paid to it this win¬
ter between these lakes and there has been considerable many as we humbly
hope have been renewed by the grace of God[.] there is a general solemnity
apon the people generally in these parts and we hope that there will be a
gre[a]ter outpouring of the spirit than ever[.] so now you see I have given
you short account of what is a doing here. ... we should like to see you all
very much indeed but we do not expect to very soon for it seems to me the
most like home of any place that I ever livedf,] but the land is nothing to be

1. A search through the pages of the Seneca Farmer, published at Water¬
loo, 1829-31, attests to the prevalence of anti-Masonry in Seneca County.

2. Fenn evidently conflated the account ofjoseph Smith’s obtaining the
plates with the subsequent visionary experience of the three witnesses.

3. The Book of Mormon was first issued from the press in late March

1830.

268

LUCIUS FENN TO BIRDSEYE BRONSON, 1830

compared to this for this is the best that I ever saw in my life I thinkf.] but the
people are not so respe[c]table as they are amongst you but we cannot expect
to have every thing exactly right always[.] I do not know as I have any thing
else to write at present only as I said before you must answer me and give our
respects to all of our friends[.] these few lines are from your

friend Lucius Finn

Birdseye Bronsen

NB Direct your letter to Covertf,] seneca Countyf,] state of Newyork to be
left at Chauncy Pratts 4 <post office> and it will certainly come

4. Chauncy Pratt, age seventy-two, is listed in the 1860 census of Covert,
Seneca County, New York, as a farmer (1860:694).

269

Diedrich Willers
to Reverend Brethren,
18 JUNE 1830

Diedrich Willers to Reverend Brethren, 18 June 1830, Willers Collection,
Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; translated by
Neal Chandler.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Diedrich Willers, Sr. (1798-1883), was born at Walle, near Bremen,
Germany. After he immigrated to America in 1819, he taught and studied for
the ministry at York, Pennsylvania. In the early 1820s, Willers moved to
Seneca County, New York, where he was ordained a minister in the Ger¬
man Reformed Church and began serving as pastor of Zion’s Church in
Fayette, which met in a log structure that was destroyed by fire in 1835.

The German Reformed Church was the American counterpart to the
“Evangelisch Reformierte Kirche” (Evangelical Reformed Church), which
exists alongside the more dominant “Evangelische Kirche” (Lutheran
Church) in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The reformed tradition
traces its origin to Johannes Calvin’s and Huldreich Zwingli’s theological
disagreements with Martin Luther and is most prominent in Holland, Swit¬
zerland, and Protestant Belgium, as well as in such areas as along the Weser
River where Willers was born. Due to its greater tolerance of religious free¬
dom than in the Lutheran/Prussian areas of Germany, this region would later
prove fruitful for Mormon missionaries (see Jorg Dittberner, “One Hundred
Years of Attitude: The History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon
Thought 36 (Spring 2003): 5Iff.

At least some of the Whitmer family attended Willers’s church (VI.E. 1,
DIEDRICH WILLERS TO ELLEN E. DICKINSON, 19 JAN 1882; see
also Porter 1971, 227-28). Because of his failing health, Willers resigned his
pastorship in 1882 and died the following year at Fayette (Quinn 1973,
317-18).

On 18 June 1830, less than three months after the Mormon Church
was organized, Willers wrote to the Reverends Lewis Mayer and Daniel
Young, both professors at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed
Church in York, Pennsylvania. Historian D. Michael Quinn described

270

DIEDRICH WILLERS TO REVEREND BRETHREN, 1830

Willers’s letter as “one of the earliest descriptions ofMormonism yet discov¬
ered” (1973, 319). Quinn also gave the following physical description of the
letter: “Although this document is catalogued as a letter-sermon, internal ev¬
idence indicates that it was really a first draft of a letter which Willers wrote to
inform his colleagues in Pennsylvania about the dangerous new sect. Apart
from two lengthy quotations from the Book of Mormon, the letter is in Ger¬
man. Two different handwritings are discernible in the document. Part of
the letter was written by Willers himself in German script. The rest was ap¬
parently written by an American-born member of the German Reformed
Church, since this handwriting is not in German script and the spelling of
German words is sometimes anglicized. The scribe apparently wrote as Will¬
ers dictated portions of the letter. Presumably a final draft of the letter was
mailed, leaving the rough draft among the personal papers of the Reverend”
(1973, 320).

Actually, the handwriting is more complex than Quinn’s description
indicates. In just five pages, the handwriting changes six times, alternating
among four discernible styles. While Quinn published a translation of the
letter in 1973 (1973, 324-33), Neal Chandler, co-editor of Dialogue: A Jour¬
nal of Mormon Thought, kindly agreed to compose the current new translation
for this collection. In many instances, Chandler’s translation corrects and im¬
proves on the previous translation. By way of background, Chandler served
an LDS mission to Germany, received a B.A. in German from the University
of Utah, pursued graduate studies for two years at the University of
Gottingen, and received a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Literature from
Princeton University. He taught German language and literature for fifteen
years at Lake Erie College and Case Western Reserve University and subse¬
quently administered and taught in a creative writing program at Cleveland
State University. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Germany in 1999/2000.

[Bearytown, Fayette, New York]
18 June 1830.

Reverend Brethren:

^The greatest fraud of our time in the field of religion is most certainly
one Joseph Smith, the professed translator of a book which carries the title,
[“]The Book of Mormon, an account written by the hand of Mormon upon
plates taken from the plates of Nephi ...[”]

1. The handwriting of the first scribe commences; this scribe is probably
American-born since he does not use German script.

271

MISCELLANEOUS EARLY SOURCES

[Book of Mormon title page] 2

The publication of the aforesaid work of lies rests on a speculative ven¬
ture intended to serve the interests of the publisher [Joseph Smith] and of
those who are connected to him. Like a Swedenborg 3 of the past century,
this man claims to keep company with spirits and angels. Because, according
to the claim, the plates on which the original book is supposed to have been
written were gold, it is known in this region by the title, The Golden Book.
Because the work was printed here locally, I want to recount to you, accord¬
ing to the most credible reports:

1) The history of the origin of this book. In the month of July [1829], 4
Joseph Smith appeared in Seneca County in the neighborhood of Waterloo
about six miles from where I live, and inasmuch as a certain David Whitmer 5
claimed to have seen an angel of the Lord, Smith made his way to this man’s
[p. 1] house in order to complete the translation of the aforesaid work in that
very place, claiming that he could work only where people kept company
with the inhabitants of higher worlds and that this was already the eleventh
place 6 in which he had worked on his translation and where human beings
had seen angels.

He [Smith] claimed that the angel of the Lord had appeared and made
known to him that in the neighborhood of Palmyra, there were golden plates
hidden in the earth on which was written the fate of a Jewish prophet’s fam¬
ily, together with many as yet unfulfilled prophesies, and that the Lord had
appointed him to translate the same from ancient languages into English. He
claimed that a pair of spectacles had been hidden beneath the plates—with¬
out which he could not translate the plates—and that through the use of

2. Willers quotes in English the entire title page of the Book of Mormon
(see III.L.12, BOOK OF MORMON COPYRIGHT, 11 JUN 1829).

3. Emanuel Swedenborg was an eighteenth-century visionary who com¬
muned with the spirits of various planets. Quinn translated this word as “deceiv¬
ers,” presumably misreading “Schwedenborg” as “Schwindler.” This is under¬
standable because the word occurs at the fold in the paper and is partly obscured.
Nevertheless, it is unmistakenly “Schwedenborg” when carefully scrutinized.

4. Rather, early June 1829.

5. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

6. In regard to Fayette being the eleventh location where Smith had
worked, and even if he had done some dictating elsewhere besides Harmony and
Fayette, this is most certainly an exaggeration. There were eleven witnesses who
said they saw the plates, and Willers may have confused this with the number of
places Smith had worked on the translation.

272

DIEDRICH WILLERS TO REVEREND BRETHREN, 1830

these spectacles he (Smith) was enabled to read these languages which he had
never studied and that the Holy Ghost would give him the translation in
English. 7 He (Smith) had, therefore, made his way to Manchester Township,
Ontario County, and found everything as described, had dug the plates and
the spectacles next to them out of the earth, and now had almost completed
the translation of the work.

/ 8 After receiving this news, I went straightway to Whitmer’s house to
see in the man himself the actual source of this story, to glean more precise in¬
formation, and if possible, / 9 to kill this enterprise at its inception. However, I
received the response from Whitmer’s father 10 that Smith had already de¬
parted to convey his translation to the printer. 11 I attempted to make the gross
deception clear to this man, and he remained silent. Smith’s pretension, de¬
scribed above, is of such a character that it does not even deserve refutation.

Since last year, all neighboring congregations have been warned ear¬
nestly and often by their teachers to beware this so-called Golden Book and
not to buy one. However, the aforementioned Smith found followers to put
up security with the printer to pay for his book, 12 and approximately 10,000
copies of the book have been printed, 13 which I understand are now sold at
the price of $1.75 apiece. In this area more have already been sold than one

7. Quinn believes that this statement contradicts David Whitmer, Mar¬
tin Harris, and others who emphasized the “automatic operation” of the seer
stone (1973, 320-21; e.g., VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887,
12; see also Lancaster 1990, 97-112). In fact, the earliest accounts indicate that
Smith “read” the translation as it appeared in the stone (III.F.2, MARTIN
HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH ROCHESTER [NY] GEM , CIRCA JUN
1829; III.F.l, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN A.
CLARK, 1827 & 1828; cf. 2 Nephi 27:20). However, Whitmer also stressed
Smith’s need to be spiritually in tune for the stone to work—although the pro¬
cess was admittedly more mechanistic than spiritual, the way Whitmer described
it (VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 30).

8. The handwriting changes briefly to a second scribe. His misspelling of
common German words suggests that he was American-born.

9. The handwriting changes to that of a third scribe who is more compe¬
tent in German but whose writing, although in German script and with German
abbreviations, is fairly Romanized. He is probably American-born.

10. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

11. Joseph Smith left Fayette about the end of June 1829 and evidently re¬
mained in Palmyra/Manchester until the end of the September following, re¬
turning to Harmony, Pennsylvania, in early October.

12. See III.L.14, MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25 AUG 1829.

13. Rather, 5,000 copies were printed.

273

MISCELLANEOUS EARLY SOURCES

would have expected, and the heathen, godless pack 14 have now made their
way to Pennsylvania to scatter their books there among the public. The au¬
thor, like the apostles, has often been challenged to prove his inspiration
through genuine miracles. Of course, he cannot provide such evidence.
However, his followers claim that recently devils have been cast out by their
preachers. 15 It is hardly surprising that such things are supposed to have hap¬
pened among their own adherents. The dear Savior has already pronounced
judgement on such false exorcists (Matt. 7:22-23).

Regarding 2) the content of this book (which consists of 588 pages),
various thick volumes could be written against it. The style is so trivial and
common that even people of limited ability can recognize that it’s nothing
but the seductive work of man. I have not yet read much of the book and
wish to be done with this drudgery, but it is the expressed desire of my fel¬
lows, who have also secured the book in order to read it.

It is divided into various books. The first two books, called the Book of
Nephi, tell about [p. 2] the family of a (so-called) prophet, Lehi—of whom
the Bible tells us nothing—and his 4 sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi.
They are represented as being descendants of Joseph who lived during the
reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah. Of Lehi it is said that he has seen God him¬
self (John 1:18; 4:24) in heaven, which was opened up to him. This Lehi,
who has been elevated from man to prophet, makes prophecies concerning
John the Baptist, that he would baptize at Bethabara and was to baptize the
Messiah. The author must not yet have learned that prophecies deal with
things in the future and that a thing that took place over 1,800 years ago can
no longer be a new prophesy this year because it deals with the past. Nephi,
who has been made into a prophet, even claims, in his own time, to see
Mary, the mother of the Savior, in the opened heavens, along with the child
Jesus in her arms. Such false prophecies differ from the Bible in that 1) they
foretell things that have already happened and 2) they have far too great a
clarity, which God in his wisdom has kept from biblical prophecies so that / 16

14. Quinn read this as “Ratte,” literally “rat” (singular), and rendered it in
English as “vermin,” whereas Chandler reads the word as “Rotte,” a term more
commonly used in the nineteenth century referring to a group of people deroga-
torily as a “pack,” “band,” “gang,” “mob,” “horde,” or “rabble.”

15. Probably a reference to when Smith was said to have cast a devil out of
Newel Knight in April 1830 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
39-41; IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUT OB IO GRAPH Y, CIRCA 1846,
49-50; III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831, under 30 June 1830).

16. The handwriting changes to that of a fourth scribe. Obviously Ger¬
man-born—probably Willers himself—this scribe’s handwriting is difficult to
read. Words that cannot be definitively interpreted will be placed within

274

DIEDRICH WILLERS TO REVEREND BRETHREN, 1830

people neither [seek] to fulfill the prophecies and give themselves the honor
for their fulfillment, which of course is due to almighty God alone, nor [ex¬
pect] that the Almighty [will employ] miracles [for ends] that otherwise
might be [achieved] by natural means.

Commanded by God, the prophet’s family is said to have [fled] Jerusa¬
lem to [escape] the immanent destruction of Jerusalem under Nebuchad¬
nezzar and to live for a while in the wilderness. Soon thereafter, Nephi and
his brothers travel again to Jerusalem, and [they] bring Ishmael and his family
back with them to their father, Lehi. However, Ishmael, Abraham’s son,
must have been 1,800 years old in the time of King Zedekiah. Our Bible,
which presents Methuselah as the oldest man, would certainly not have
[failed to mention] such a great age. It [the Bible] says further of Ishmael
(Genesis 25:17) that he lived to be 137 years old, [died], and was gathered to
his people. 17 According to world history, the Arabs in the 13th century are
said [to have discovered the compass needle], but according to Nephi’s book,
God himself gave the compass to this family in order to lead [them] across a
great sea to the promised land [1 Ne. 16:10; Alma 37:38-42].

As punishment, God is said to have inflicted a black skin color upon the
Lamanites, who did not want to follow Nephi and who, prior to this (as
Asians), were white and fair and delightsome. The origin of Blacks, accord¬
ing to this view, would have been Laman, a brother of Nephi, upon whom
God inflicted the black color because of his godlessness. (But just consider),
there are so many reasons to trace the origin of Blacks to Ham, Noah’s son. 18

On page 65 of the Book of Mormon, human reproduction is presented
as a consequence of the Fall [2 Ne. 2:22-23]; if Adam and Eve had not sinned,
then—according to this tenet—they would not have had children. [Shrouded]
in blindness, the author must never have read [the passage] in Genesis 1:28.
He also claims that if [no] Fall had taken place, the animal creation would
have been [immortal] and [animals would have] remained in their original

brackets. Chandler explains that “this section was written in German Kurrent-
schrift, which was taught in German schools for a couple hundred years up until
the 1920s and in which flourish, ornamentation, and improvisation were en¬
couraged. The less readable, the more mature and distinctive the handwriting
was considered to be, and Willers’s script is definitely distinctive.”

17. Willers assumes that the Ishmael of the Book of Mormon (ca. 589
B.C.E.) is the same Ishmael of Genesis, which is not the case.

18. The Book of Mormon’s reference to a “skin of blackness” (e.g., 2 Ne.
5:21) pertains to Native rather than African Americans. Nevertheless, the
Hametic hypothesis of African origins Willers alludes to was common in early
America and would show up later in Joseph Smith’s writings (Moses 7:8, 22;
Abra. 1:21-27).

275

MISCELLANEOUS EARLY SOURCES

condition and, as a consequence, not propagated themselves. In order to re¬
fute this notion, [we consult] Genesis 1:22. With regard to the eternal life of
animals, the Holy Bible describes human death as a consequence of the Fall;
in other words, it acknowledges that had the Fall not taken place, the human
body would have been destined for immortality. Nowhere does the Holy
Bible trace the death of animals to the fall of man.

The 8th Chapter of the Book of Moroni mentions an epistle of his
[Moroni’s] father, Mormon. [—] he writes that the Holy Spirit had shown
him that children were wholesome and not in need of baptism (Romans
3:12), that those who claimed infant baptism was necessary were full of bitter
gall and without faith, love, and hope, and that those who believe in infant
baptism [must be consigned] to hell. / 19 However, nowhere does the Holy
Bible trace damnation [p. 3] to a belief in any particular baptism, but rather to
unbelief (Mark 16:16). Nowhere does it claim that faith, love, and hope are
the fruit of adult baptism, but it presents these rather as the fruits of the gospel
and of the Spirit of God (John 20:31; Romans 10:17; Galatians 5:22). When
he [Mormon] writes that infant baptism annuls the atonement of Christ, the
Apostle Paul reveals him to be a false teacher in Romans 6:3 [where] he
writes that all those baptized in Jesus Christ are baptized into his death.

I have read only about 100 pages in the Book of Mormon. The author,
inasmuch as he represents the makers of his (never discovered) plates as
prophets, wants in this way to establish his book as a canonical work. He is
not satisfied with those [works] revealed to mankind through the Spirit of
God, but rather introduces it (his book) as a second Bible and thereby an¬
nounces that, in his opinion, the word of God is imperfect, and he threatens
damnation to those who do not believe in his (false) Bible. We must answer
this malediction with the Apostle Paul (Gal. 1:6-9).

3) As for the purpose of this book, it is directed to the same end [as the
Bible], to show that the rejected Jewish people will be accepted again into
grace and transplanted into the Church of Christ and that the heathen also
are already being implanted into the true church of the Savior. However,
these teachings are already in the true Bible; hence, we need no new Bible.
Such superfluous revelations conflict with the wisdom of God who can do
nothing which is unnecessary, who has the best intentions in all His decrees
and seeks to carry these out through the best and most direct means.

4) The effects of the Book [of Mormon] already extend over the mem¬
bers ofvarious Christian persuasions. Some members of the Lutheran and the
Reformed, the Presbyterian, and the Baptist congregations have given this
book their approval, have let themselves be immersed by them, and have

19. The handwriting changes back to that of the first scribe (see note 1).

276

DIEDRICH WILLERS TO REVEREND BRETHREN, 1830

formed themselves into their own sect. With their baptism by immersion,
they are winning over many members of the Baptist Church—the general as
well as the particular Baptists, from the former because of their teaching con¬
cerning the universal grace of God and from the latter because of their agree¬
ment regarding the true subject of holy baptism.

This new sect calls itself the True Followers of Christ/ 0 but because
they believe in the Book of Mormon, they bear the name Mormonites. For
the past several Sundays and sometimes during the week, many people of
both genders have been baptized by immersion so that their number in the
local area may have grown to at least 100 persons. 21 They have their own
preachers, of whom I know Oliver Cowdery 22 from descriptive reports and
(the so-called angel seer) David Whitmer personally. However, their sect has
various other preachers who are not known to me. Adherents are expected
to respect the Book of Mormon, about which they all preach on Sunday, not
just as a symbolic book, but rather as a second Bible and accept it as divine in¬
struction.

The majority of the current believers were likely general Baptists previ¬
ously. Nevertheless, this new sect should not send the Christian Church into
shock. The past centuries have also given birth to badly deformed religious
offspring, but where are they now? Where are the sects of the Nicolaites,
Ebionites, Nasoreans, [p. 4] Montanites, Paulicians, among others, which
are named in the history of the Christian Church? They have flowed into the
ocean of the past and are marked with the stamp of oblivion. This will also
be—and let us hope that it is rooted in its inception—the fate of the
Mormonites. Inasmuch as various of their preachers have left for Pennsylva¬
nia to make converts with their teachings and have also taken with them a
quantity of books to sell, I your brother have been commissioned by the
Zion Congregation to ask you urgently to warn the inhabitants of the Union
through our Evangelical Reform Magazine, 23 as broadly as it is read, against
these new teachings and against the purchase of the books.

20. See I.A.4, JOSEPH SMITH INTERVIEW WITH PETER BAU-
DER, OCT 1830, 36, regarding the early Book of Mormon believers “call[ing]
themselves the true followers of Christ.”

21. Church records indicate that as of 9 June 1830, there were only
twenty-seven members—sixty-two by 26 September (VI.G.2, FAR WEST
RECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2 JAN 1831, under 26 September
1830). Willers’s estimate on 18 June must have been influenced by the number
of investigators associating with the new church but not yet baptized.

22. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

23. Quinn reports on the Magazine of the Reformed Church that it was “an

277

MISCELLANEOUS EARLY SOURCES

/ 24 In conclusion, I will add the testimony of these unbelieving and
godless men. ...

[Testimony of the Three and Eight Witnesses] 25

[Of the witnesses,] the Whitmers are known to me. Over nine years
they were adherents of the Methodists, the Reformers, the Presbyterians,
Mennonites, and Baptists 26 and are, as is evident, unstable and easily excitable
people, also superstitious to the highest degree so that they believe even in
witches. Hiram Page 27 is equally filled with superstition, and the Smiths
[who signed the document] are probably close relatives of Joseph Smith, Jr.,
author of the Book of Mormon.

With deep respect and love,
D. W.

Rev[s]. L. Mayer & D. Young
York [Pennsylvania]

English language publication established at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1828. In
1830 its editor was Lewis Mayer, assisted by Daniel Young. These were the men
to whom the [Willers] letter was addressed. In 1832, the name of the publication
was changed to Messenger of the Reformed Church ” (Quinn 1973, 332, n. 16). Nei¬
ther the Magazine of the Reformed Church nor the Reformed Church Messenger pub¬
lished any letters from Willers on Mormonism from 1829 to 1840 (Richard R.
Berg, Philip Schaff Library, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Lancaster, Penn¬
sylvania, to Dan Vogel, 18 October 1994, personal files).

24. The handwriting changes back to that of the third scribe (see note 9).

25. Willers quotes in English the testimonies of the three and eight wit¬
nesses (see VI.G.l, TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES, JUN 1829; and
III.L.13, TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSES, JUN 1829).

26. Presently there is only evidence that the Whitmers attended the Ger¬
man Reformed Church. However, there are several references to the family’s
move from Pennsylvania where they were “Pennsylvania Dutch” farmers, which
may corroborate the Mennonite affiliation (see VI.F.ll. HISTORY OF SEN¬
ECA COUNTY; also, e.g., VI.A. INTRODUCTION TO DAVID WHIT-
MER COLLECTION, note 1; VI.A.35. DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH RICHMOND (MO) DEMOCRAT, JAN 1888; VI.E.l. DIEDRICH
WILLERS TO ELLEN E. DICKINSON, 19 JAN 1882; VI.E.3. DIEDRICH
WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH, 1900). The Chicago Tribune said Pe¬
ter Whitmer, Sr., had been a strict Presbyterian (VI.A.26. DAVID WHITMER
INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TRIBUNE 15 DEC 1885).

27. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HFRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

278

The Peter Whitmer farm site in Fayette, New York, as it looked in 1907. The
buildings are of a later construction. Photo by George E. Anderson.

1 .

Diedrich Willers to Ellen e. Dickinson,
19 JANUARY 1882

Ellen E. Dickinson, New Light on Mormonism (New York: Funk & Wagnals,
1885), 249-52.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Sixteen months before his death, the Reverend Diedrich Willers 1
wrote to Ellen E. Dickinson describing early Mormon events in Seneca
County, New York (see also VI.D.2, DIEDRICH WILLERS TO REV¬
EREND BRETHREN, 18 JUN 1830). Willers sent to Dickinson the fol¬
lowing cover letter, which she also published (p. 249):

(Varick) FAYETTE P.O.,
SENECA CO., N.Y.,
January 19, 1882.

DEAR MADAM: Your letter of the 7th inst. came duly to hand. I
enclose a few recollections and traditions of Mormonism in Seneca
County. ... At my great age (eighty-four years) I can remember but little of
events which transpired over fifty years ago, and as the neighborhood in
which Smith conducted his operations was some eight or nine miles from
my residence, I was not even at that time much conversant with the facts.
There is yet living in this county (besides Mr. [Jacob] Shiley, to whom I re¬
fer), a member of the Schott family, closely related to some of that family
who became apostates to Mormonism.

(Signed) DIEDRICH VILLERS.

I infer that you desire information as to the early history of Mormonism
in Seneca Co., N.Y., more than fifty years ago, when the present powerful
Mormon organization was in its infancy, and its doctrines advocated here¬
abouts by Joseph Smith and other adventurers.

I will give you such data as occurs to me. As it is always right to give to
every one his due, I may say that polygamy was unheard of in connection

1. On Diedrich Willers (1798-1883), see introduction to VI.D.2, DIE¬
DRICH WILLERS TO REVEREND BRETHREN, 18 JUN 1830.

281

MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

with Mormonism in those days, and its introduction was left to a later
day—by Latter-Day Saints, [p. 249]

When I came to Seneca County as pastor of a number of congregations
of the (German) Reformed Church, in April, 1821, I found among the
members of a remote congregation, Zion’s Church (afterward known as Je¬
rusalem Church), in West Fayette, a plain, unassuming farmer of the name
Peter Whitmer, 2 a native of Pennsylvania, of the class of settlers known as
Pennsylvania Germans. He was a quiet, unpretending, and apparently hon¬
est, candid, and simple-minded man. On the fifth day of April, 1822, at my
first confirmation services of a class after instruction in the Heidelberg Cate¬
chism, I find among the names of the thirty-eight young persons then con¬
firmed by me those of John Whitmer, Christian Whitmer, and Jacob
Whitmer. 3 4 My recollection is, that I baptized one or more of the Whitmer
family as adults, according to the custom of the Reformed Church.

I may state here, that I never met or had any acquaintance with Joseph
Smith, Hiram Page, 5 [Oliver] Cowdrey, 6 or Sidney Rigdon, 7 nor, in fact,
with any of the persons connected with them, except the Whitmers and the
Jolly family. I am informed by Mr. Jacob Shiley, 8 9 an old gentleman, aged sev¬
enty-nine years, now a resident of Fayette (who fifty or more years ago occu¬
pied a farm adjoining the residence of the Whitmers andjollys), that the five
persons of the name Whitmer, whose names appear in the “Testimony of
three witnesses” and the “Testimony of eight witnesses,” appearing at the
end of the Mormon Bible, to wit: the three above-named, Christian/

2. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

3. “Record of German Reformed Church at Bearytown, Seneca, New
York,” 5 April 1822, Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, New
York. This document is reproduced in Porter 1971, 228.

4. Ibid., 7 April 1822, indicates that Peter and Christian Whitmer re¬
ceived the Holy Sacrament of the Reformed Church (Porter 1971, 229).

5. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

6. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

7. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

8. Jacob Shiley, son of George Shiley, is listed in the 1830 census of
Fayette, New York, in close proximity to Peter, Jacob, and Christian Whitmer.
In 1830, he was between twenty and thirty years of age (see U.S. Census,
Fayette, Seneca County, New York, 1830).

9. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

282

DIEDRICH WILLERS TO ELLEN E. DICKINSON, 1882

John, 10 and Jacob Whitmer, 11 and Peter Whitmer, Jr., 12 and David Whit-
mer 13 were all sons of Peter Whitmer, Sr.

Hiram Page, who is described to me as an itinerant botanic or root doc¬
tor, married a daughter of Peter Whitmer. 14 It was said at the time of the mar¬
riage of Page to Miss Whitmer, that her father was opposed to the marriage
until convinced by Page that Miss Whitmer was consumptive, and that he
(Page), by the extraction of a certain tooth, the location of which he alone
knew, could effect a cure. As there was doubtless a previous understanding
between Page and the young lady, the pretended cure was reputed to have
been effected through Page’s agency, and the marriage took place.

One of the sons of Mr. Whitmer (as I am informed by Mr. Shiley) mar¬
ried a Miss Jolly, whose mother, the wife of William Jolly, of West Fayette,
was a baptized convert to Mormonism, and with her husband removed with
the Mormons to Ohio. 15 Mr. Jolly, however (as Mr. Shiley informs me), de¬
clined to contribute the proceeds of the sale of his property to the common
stock of Mormonism, and eventually withdrew from them, and died in
Ohio, near Cleveland. 16 [p. 250] Two other sons of Mr. Whitmer (as Mr.
Shiley informs me) married ladies of the name Schott, of West Fayette, near
Waterloo, one of whom is said to have returned to Seneca County upon the
death of her husband. 17

10. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

11. On Jacob Whitmer (1800-56), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 98.

12. On Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809-36), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 63.

13. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

14. On Catherine Whitmer Page (1807-?), whom Hiram Page married on
10 November 1825, see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 95.

15. On William Jolly (1777-1863), husband ofElizabethJolly, see I.A.15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 102. On Elizabeth Jolly (1788-1843),
see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 103. William and Elizabeth
were baptized on 18 April 1830 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
39), and David Whitmer (1805-88) married their daughter, Julia Ann Jolly
(1815-89), on 9 January 1831 (Cook 1981, 24).

16. Deanjessee reports that William Jolly “apparently did not remain with
the Church,” and that he died at Parkman, Geauga County, Ohio (jessee 1989,
494).

17. Christian Whitmer (1798-1835) married Anne Schott (1801-66) in
1825 (jessee 1989, 520). After Christian’s death, Anne married Francis Hulett,

283

MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

My informant (Mr. Shiley) says that he has attended the services held at
the houses of Peter Whitmer and William Jolly, and heard, among others
who spoke (or preached), Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hiram Page.
The baptisms were performed by immersion in Thomas’ Creek and Kendig
Creek, 18 in the town of Fayette. Mr. Jacob Shiley and his brother George
Shiley, 19 also still living in West Fayette, were present, and witnessed the im¬
mersion in baptism ofMrs. William Jolly. When it became known to me that
Peter Whitmer and his family were becoming the dupes of Smith and his
co-workers, I called upon Mr. Whitmer, in order to remonstrate with him
and to warn him of the errors and delusions and the false doctrines promul¬
gated by these men. My conversation, however, apparently made no impres¬
sion upon him, his only reply to my arguments being the repeated quotation
in the German language of the words: “Jesus Christ, yesterday, to-day, and
forever.”

As an illustration, to show how easily the Whitmers were duped, it is
related, that by some contrivance of Smith and his associates a wooden image
or representation was placed in a tree in a field where one of Whitmer’s sons
was engaged in ploughing, and that when interrogated as to whether he had
not seen an angel, he answered in the affirmative. “Then,” said Smith, “this is
the place where the ‘Book of Mormon’ must be completed, since the angel
has already appeared eleven times, and it has been revealed to me that at the
place of the twelfth appearing of the angel, the book must be completed.”
Hence Whitmers’, in West Fayette, became the resort of Smith and his fel¬
low-impostors during the progress of this work.

As for a time a number of persons besides the Whitmers were inclined
to favor the Mormons, I preached a sermon in Zion’s (Jerusalem) Church on
June 13th, 1830, from the text, Galatians 1:8. 20 So far as I know, no other

whom she later divorced. Soon after, she returned to Fayette, New York, where
she later died (Jessee 1989, 521). Jacob Whitmer (1800-56) married Elizabeth
Ann Schott (1803-?) in 1825 (Jessee 1989, 521).

18. According to Willers’s son, Mormon converts were “from time to
time baptized by immersion in Seneca lake, Seneca river, Thomas and Kendig
creeks, and other streams not far from the Whitmer farm” (VI.E.3, DIEDRICH
WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH, 1900, 48). Joseph Smith’s history
only mentions Seneca Lake.

19. George Shiley, Jr., is listed in the 1830 census of Fayette as a young
man in his twenties.

20. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal.
1:8, KJV).

284

DIEDRICH WILLERS TO ELLEN E. DICKINSON, 1882

persons in that vicinity except the Whitmers, the Jolly family, and several
members of the Schott family became adherents.

A history of Seneca Co., N.Y., published in 1876 by Everts, Ensign &
Everts, Philadelphia, Penn., contains some reference to Mormonism, from
the recollection of Hon. Daniel S. Kendig, 21 still living at Waterloo, who was
born in Fayette in 1802, and lived there in the early years of his life. French’s
New York Gazetteer, published by R. Pearsall Smith, at Syracuse, New York,
in 1860, also [p. 251] contained some data concerning Mormonism, and
states that the first Mormon society was formed in the town of Fayette, Sen¬
eca County, in 1830. 22 In this gazetteer Martin Harris 23 is reported to have
mortgaged his farm to defray the expense of printing the Mormon Bible. It
was generally reported hereabouts, however, that Peter Whitmer had be¬
come surety for paying the cost of printing this Bible, and it may be difficult
now to ascertain the exact facts in regard thereto; but as Smith was engaged in
preparing the Bible for publication at Whitmer’s house, it is probable that
Whitmer also became involved in the expense of publication. 24

It is conceded, I think, that when Mr. Whitmer disposed of his prop¬
erty in this county he contributed what remained to the Mormon fund, and
followed the fortunes of Mormonism. The edition printed of the “Book of
Mormon” was, I am told, three thousand copies.

I have a copy of the “Book ofMormon,” by “Joseph Smith, Jr., Author
and Proprietor,” bearing the imprint, “Palmyra. Printed by E. B. Grandin 25
for the Author, 1830.” This is doubtless one of the original copies.

The price of the Mormon Bible when issued was said to have been
fixed in the first instance at $1.50 or $1.75 per copy; as the sale at that price

21. See VI.F.ll, HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY (NY), 1876.

22. J[ohn]. Hfomer]. French, Gazetteer of the State of New York ([Syracuse,
New York]: [R. P. Smith], 1860), has two brief references to Mormonism: “Jo¬
seph Smith, the father of the prophet, settled a little s[outh]. of Palmyra Village in
1819. The plates of the Mormon bible were said to have been dug up on a hill¬
side in Manchester, Ontario co., a little sfouth]. of the Palmyra line. The Smiths
were money diggers, and had previously been digging in this locality for gold.
The book was printed at the office of the Wayne Sentinel, Martin Harris, a con¬
vert, mortgaging his farm to defray the expense” (p. 693).

23. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

24. Martin Harris alone bore the financial burden of publishing the Book
ofMormon by mortgaging his farm (see III.L.14, MARTIN HARRIS MORT¬
GAGE, 25 AUG 1829).

25. On Egbert B. Grandin (1806-45), see I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 77.

285

MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

was very slow, the price was reduced from time to time by Smith, under in¬
structions from “the angel of the Lord,” until at last copies were offered, I
have been told, as low as fifty cents per copy, and even as low as twenty-five
cents each.

There is yet living at Palmyra, N.Y., an octogenarian, Mr. J. H.
Gilbert, 26 who set type upon the original edition of the Mormon Bible. ...

26. Onjohn H. Gilbert (1802-95), see “Introduction to John H. Gilbert
Collection.”

286

LEE YOST TO DIEDRICH WlLLERS, JR.,

18 MAY 1897

Lee Yost to Diedrich Willers, Jr., 18 May 1897, Willers Papers, Seneca Falls
Historical Society, Seneca Falls, New York.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On 18 May 1897, Lee Yost (ca. 1829-?), a Michigan merchant and for¬
mer resident of Fayette, New York, responded to a request from Diedrich
Willers, Jr., 1 who was preparing his Centennial Historical Sketch of the Town of
Fayette (see VI.E.3, DIEDRICH WILLERS ,JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH,
1900), and related his knowledge of Mormon activities in the Fayette area.

Hudsonf,] Michiganf.] May 18[,] 1897

Friend Willersf:] after a long time I will now try and write you a short
History of Joseph Smith the Mormon Phroffet [prophet] as he was called
here at the time of getting up of the Mormon Biblef.] Joe Smith’s Parents
lived at or near Palmyra[,] Wayne Count[y][,] N[ew]. York State[.] The first
heard of Joe Smith was his coming to Fayette to Examine and Search for
Treasure as he Supposed was hid or Burried in or about the Embankments of
the old Fort or Earth Works 2 was and Plainly to be Seen in the woods on the
Farm of my Wife’s Grand=father—John Markel 3 in Fayette[.] Smith was
shown the Place or Fort by my Wifes Father William A Marshallf,] Son in
Law to Markelf.] There together with one or two others they Spent Several

1. On Diedrich Willers, Jr. (1820-1908), see introduction to VI.E.3,
DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH, 1900.

2. An ancient fortification near Ovid, Seneca County, New York, was
examined by DeWitt Clinton in 1811 (History of Seneca Co., New York, 1876,
99). On Joseph Smith’s possible early contact with Fayette, see VI.F.ll, HIS¬
TORY OF SENECA COUNTY (NY), 1876; AND VI.E.4, HARRISON
CHAMBERLAIN REMINISCENCE, 1903. See also Quinn 1998, 51-52.

3. John Markel is difficult to find. Nevertheless, John A. Rumsey men¬
tioned him in 1886 as living south of Waterloo, “Next farm North Markels all
dead, you may remember John and Jake Markel” (John A. Rumsey to David
Whitmer, 1 January 1886, Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, New
York, cited in Porter 1971, 243).

287

MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

days and nights[,] Smith with his mineral Rod to find the Hidden location
But failed to find the treasure [p. 1]

the next heard of Smith was his Story of finding the Golden Bible [.] the
History he gave of the finding was that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him
and directed him to Search in a certain Spot East of the vil[l]age of Palmyra
directing him of a certain Place South Side of the Road in the field at the foot
of of a hill or quite a rise of ground [where] he would find the Plates of the
Golden Bible [.] I stayed all night at a tavern on the North side of this road and
was shown the very Spot Smith Said he[,] the angelf,] directed him where to
find the the Plates of the Golden Biblef.] the Next we hear of Joe Smith was
his coming into the Town of Fayette and Enlisting the Family of the
Whitmores in the getting up of the Mormon Biblef.] it was at the House of
old Mr Whitmore 4 that Smith Translated or pretended to[.] he had one Cor¬
ner of a room in the House Partitioned off in which he would translate from
the Golden Plates [p. 2] and a man by the name of Oliver Cowdry 5 would in
the other room write as Smith read to himf.j this was the Start of the Mor¬
mon Biblef.] My Father Casper Yost 6 at [that] time[,] a number of times [,]
went over to the Whitmores and there Saw and handled the Golden Plates so
calledf.] the plates looked to him[,] he Said and I have heard him describe
them to others as they appeared to him[,] as sheets or plates of Brass with let¬
ters or Engraving which he did not understand or know anything aboutf.] 7
Finally the Mormon Bible was Publishedf.] it was a jumbled up mess taken
from part of the Bible and parts of Something else[.] John Whitmore [,] 8 Sid¬
ney Rigden 9 and Several others [who] became Mormon Preachers used to
hold meetings at the Whitmore house and in different School houses[.] Da-

4. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

5. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection. ”

6. Casper Yost is listed in the 1860 census of Fayette, Seneca County,
New York, as a forty-three-year-old farmer (1860:454). He also built and ran a
saw mill (see Lee Yost to Diedrich Willers, Jr., 11 May 1897, Seneca Falls His¬
torical Society, Seneca Falls, New York).

7. Perhaps Yost’s description was based on what he had heard from the
Smiths or Whitmers and his son misconstrued it as a personal experience.

8. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

9. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

288

LEE YOST TO DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., 1897

vid[,] 10 Peter 11 andjohnf,] sons of the old gentleman Whitmoref,] became
quite engaged in the getting up the Society of the Mormons[.] [p. 3]

the First Principles of the doctrine of the Mormons was to believe in
the Mormon Bible as inspired writing and as Joseph Smith as the Mormon
Divine Phroffet [prophet] [.] the one Doctrine of the Society was that those
wishing to become members must give to the church all their Earthly Posses¬
sion put in as common Stock, there is where old Mr. Whitmore made his
mistake Sold his Farm ang [and] gave the Proceed to the Mormons and be¬
came a Poor Man afar as proper[t]y was concerned[.] 12 quite a number of
men pretty well off refused to give their Property to the mormons So did met
<not> become members[.] I recollect Several[.] Oran Chamberlain 13 own¬
ing property between Waterloo and Seneca Falls was one[.] Philip Burrows 14
having a nice Farm in what was called the Burgh[.] 1;> I will give you a Short
Sketch of what I thought of the getting up of the Mormon Bible [.] at the First
this Same Oliver Cowdry taught School in our district before Joe Smith pre-
t e nd e d to [said] he found the golden Plates as directed by the angel of the
Lord[.] 16 it was the winter School he taught [p. 4] and Cowdry was in the
hablot [habit] of Staying in the School House late nights writinfg] about
Something no one knew what[.] Finally Several of the older Boys made up
their Minds to See what the teacher was writing about[.] Several of [them]

10. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

11. On Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809-36), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 63.

12. A warranty deed, dated 1 April 1831, indicates that Peter and Mary
Whitmer conveyed to Charles Stuart their hundred-acre lot in Fayette for
$2,200 (Deeds, Liber W, 318, Seneca Falls County Courthouse, Waterloo, New
York, cited in Porter 1971, 312).

13. Orrin Chamberlain was in his fifties when the 1840 census was taken
in Fayette, Seneca County, New York (1840:223). The Rochester Union Adver¬
tiser (or 23 January 1875 states that Smith’s “first material convert was a man by
the name of Chamberlin, who lived near a place called the Kingdom, between
Seneca Falls and Waterloo. This man owned a good farm, and through his aid
and others the Mormon bible was first published.”

14. Philip Burrows (Burroughs) is listed in the 1830 census of Seneca Falls,
Seneca County, New York, as being in his thirties (1830:23).

15. See III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1828-1831, under 9 March
1831, 116.

16. This is the only source claiming that Cowdery taught school in Seneca
County. If true, it probably happened during the winter of 1829-30 while the
Book of Mormon was being printed rather than before 1827 as claimed.

289

MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

got in to the School House[.] I remember who they were[.] their names were
Sylvester Stringham, 17 Elenry Gamber 18 and Brother Chester Yost[.] 19 they
got Hold of the writings and took them away[.] Now my idea of this is that in
the First Cowdry had a goo[d] deal to [do] with the writing of the Mormon
Bible and in the Mormon Bible[,] its there [,] is this Statementf:] in translating
from the golden Plates that Some designing person or persons had Stolen part
of the History and the angel of the Lord appeared to Joe Smith and directed
him to Seal up that Part that was stolen and not translate it[.] 20 my idea was
and is yet that the writings were a part of Smiths mormon Bible [p. 5] and I
once got Hold of an old Book called the Tales of a Grandfatherf,] it goes on
to give the History of the Building of the Tower [of] Bable 21 and the confu¬
sion of the Languages and goes on to describe the dispersion of the People [.]
they Seperated into Small Groups and in doing So each Band would [have]
its leadersf.] they would give their leader a [name] [.] the Names were Such as
the Hittitesf,] the Levitesf,] the Moabites[,] the Nevites and the Amalekites
and and we found in the Book of Mormon these very Names at the begining
of different chap[t]ers in the Mormon Book[.] 22 Well Jos [eph] and his church
was nothing but a Sort of Laughing Stock[.] there Sayings and doingfs] were
So rediculous the People [be]came Disgusted withe them[.] they finally in a
body left and settled in Ohio I forgot the Name of the Place [.] there there
[their] doctrine and doingfs] was such the People drove them away[.] the

17. Sylvester Stringham, age fifty, is listed in the 1860 census of Fayette,
Seneca County, New York, as a farmer (1860:454).

18. While Federal Census records list many Gambers in Seneca County
(1830, 1850), this person remains unidentified.

19. Chester Yost (ca. 1803-74), a farmer and justice of the peace, was born
in Fayette. In Ypsilanti, Michigan, he would become partner with Benjamin
Follett in a mercantile business and a Republican state senator in 1859 (Yost
Family File, Willers Papers, Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, New
York; U.S. Census, Ypsilanti, Washenaw County, Michigan, 1860:857).

20. See III.L.16, BOOK OF MORMON PILEFACE, 1829.

21. Yost is probably referring to Sir Walter Scott’s Tales of a Grandfather:
Being Stories Taken from Scottish History (2 vols.), with several American editions
in 1828 (Boston, New York, and Philadelphia). However, it has nothing to do
with the Tower of Babel.

22. This statement, especially as it pertains to the contents of the Book of
Mormon, is inaccurate. Although there are Amalekites and possibly Nevites
(=Nephites) in the Book of Mormon, there are no Hittites, Levites, or
Moabites, nor are such names “found ... at the begin[n]ing of different chap[t]ers
in the Mormon Book.” In addition, Scott’s Tales of a Grandfather (ibid.) has noth¬
ing about “Nevites.” Except for “Nevites,” the names Yost cites are from the
Old Testament.

290

LEE YOST TO DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., 1897

next move was to Illanois Settling at Navoo[.] Here for the first [,] if I remem¬
ber [,] the plurogh [plurality] [p. 6] of Wive [s] was first Preached and it was
here they becamfe] So bad and obncious [obnoxious] the People rose up in
arms against [them] and it was her[e] that Joe Smith appearing at one of the
windowsf,] the People in [a] rage and frenzy Shot Joe Smithf.] from theref,]
Electing Brigam Young 23 as their leaderf,] they Emigrated to Salt Lake
City[,] Uta[h]

I have Written you a long lot of Stuff that I think if you can read it you
will be glad when you get through

Yours Respectfully
Lee Yost

23. On Brigham Young (1801-77), see introduction to III.K.19, BRIG¬
HAM YOUNG ACCOUNTS, 1855 & 1857.

291

DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR.,
Historical Sketch, 1900

Diedrich Willers, Jr., Centennial Historical Sketch of the Town of Fayette, Seneca
County, New-York, 1800-1900 (Geneva, New York: W. F. Humphrey,
1900), 47-48, 51.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Diedrich Willers, Jr. (1820-1908), whose father was the minister of the
German Reformed Church where the Whitmers attended church, pub¬
lished a history of Fayette, New York, which included an account of Mor¬
mon activities in the area. Willers’s correspondence at the Seneca Falls His¬
torical Society indicates that much of his information about Mormonism
came from Apostle Franklin D. Richards (1821-99) of Salt Lake City.

... The Mormon church which has arisen to prominence at the present
time, was first organized at the house of Peter Whitmer, 1 a Pennsylvania
German farmer (residing upon a farm in the southeast corner of Military Lot
No. 13, in Fayette), April 6, 1830.

The founder of this church was Joseph Smith, born at Sharon, Ver¬
mont, Dec. 23, 1805, who in 1815 2 removed to Western New York with his
parents. In after years, he made it known, that as early as Sept. 22, 1823, he
had discovered certain plates, known as the “Golden plates,” buried in a hill,
in the Town of Manchester, Ontario County, N.Y., about four miles south
of Palmyra, which plates however he did not remove from their place of de¬
posit, until four years afterwards. These plates contained inscriptions in un¬
known characters or letters, which soon after he had exhumed them, in Sept.

1. The location of the church’s organization came from correspondence
with Franklin D. Richards (see Diedrich Willers to Daniel Hendrix, 27 July
1895, Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, New York). However, see
discussion in I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82. On Peter
Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n.
59.

2. Joseph Smith, Sr., probably arrived at Palmyra in the fall of 1816, and
Lucy and the children followed sometime in the winter of 1816-17.

292

DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH, 1900

1827, he began (while living at the home of his wife, 3 in Harmony, Penn.) to
translate and transcribe into English, with the aid, as he alleged, of certain
mysterious Seer Stones, which he called Urim and Thummim.

In June 1829, Joseph Smith removed from Pennsylvania to the resi¬
dence of Peter Whitmer, where the work of translation progressed, assisted
by Oliver Cowdery 4 and David 3 and John Whitmer 6 (sons of Peter), and the
“Book ofMormon,” called also the “Mormon Bible,” first printed by Egbert
B. Grandin 7 at Palmyra, N.Y., was issued in the year 1830.

The organization of April 6, 1830, alluded to, was perfected by Joseph
Smith (then known as “the Prophet”) and five others, to wit: Oliver
Cowdery, David Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jr., Hyrum Smith and Samuel
H. Smith. 8

As early as June 1829, David Whitmer and Hyrum Smith 9 were bap¬
tized by Joseph Smith by immersion, in Seneca lake, and one (John
Whitmer), was baptized there by Oliver Cowdery. 10 [p. 47]

The first public meeting after the organization referred to, was held at
the house of Peter Whitmer, April 11, 1830, at which Oliver Cowdery
preached. On the same day Hiram Page, Catharine Page, Christian Whit¬
mer, Anna Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer and Elizabeth Whitmer were bap¬
tized, 11 and on April 18, of the same year, Peter Whitmer, Sr., Mary
Whitmer, William Jolly, Elizabeth Jolly, Vincent Jolly and Elizabeth Ann
Whitmer were baptized. 12

3. On Emma Hale Smith (1804-79), see “Introduction to Emma Smith
Collection.”

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

5. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

6. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

7. On Egbert B. Grandin (1806-45), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 77.

8. Regarding the founding members of the church, see introduction to
IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT 11 AUG 1862.

9. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

10. This follows I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 23, except
that Oliver Cowdery baptizes Peter Whitmer, Jr., rather than John Whitmer.

11. This follows I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 39, minus
Mary Page.

12. This follows I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 39, minus
Ziba Peterson.

293

MISCELLANEOUS LATE SOURCES

In June, 1830, nine converts in addition to those named, were baptized
in Fayette, and a number of others were from time to time baptized by im¬
mersion in Seneca lake, Seneca river, 13 Thomas and Kendig creeks, 14 and
other streams not far from the Whitmer farm.

Preaching services were held in 1830 and 1831 at Peter Whitmer’s
house, and at Whitmer’s school house, in District No. 17, Fayette (northeast
from Whitmer’s near Martin Miller’s, and the junction of Military Lots 3, 4,
and 13). This school district was annulled in 1841, hand [and] t[h]e school
house has since been removed. 15

Another preaching point was at the school house in school district No.
15 (now No. 7), in the locality known as “The Beach,” in northeast
Fayette. 16

The first Conference of the Mormon church was held in Fayette, June
1, 1830, at which thirty members were present. 17

The second General Conference held in Fayette, Sept. 1, 1830, 18 con¬
tinued for three days, and a third Conference was held in this town, Jan. 2,
1831. 19

13. Another account claims that baptisms were performed “in Seneca
Lake near the Outlet” (Stanley I. Reynolds, Notebook, under “Watkins,”
Waterloo Historical Society, Waterloo, New York, cited in Porter 1971, 256).
The Seneca River runs from Seneca Lake eastward through the village of
Waterloo.

14. According to another source, “the first baptism in the Mormon faith
was made in this town [Fayette], by immersion in a small brook, called Thomas
Creek” (IV.F.ll, HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY [NY], 1876). Larry C.
Porter reports that “the upper branch of Thomas Creek, where local tradition
has it that some early baptisms were performed, is just one field west of the Peter
Whitmer, Sr., farm. ... Kindig Creek lies to the west of Thomas Creek, running
somewhat parallel to it, and emptying into the Seneca River, as does Thomas
Creek” (Porter 1971, 256-57, 257-58).

15. The Moravian church is now located on the lot.

16. Willers does not identify his source for this information, and it is not
corroborated elsewhere.

17. Follows I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 41, including
the incorrect date of 1 June 1830 (should be 9 June). Willers obtained this infor¬
mation from Franklin D. Richards (see Diedrich Willers to Daniel Hendrix, 27
July 1895, Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, New York).

18. Follows I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 54-58, includ¬
ing the incorrect date 1 September 1830 (actually 26-28 September). Willers ob¬
tained this information from Franklin D. Richards (see n. 17).

19. See VI.G.2, FAR WEST ILECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830, & 2
JAN 1831; and I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 88-90.

294

DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH, 1900

Joseph Smith removed his family from Harmony, Pa., to Peter Whit-
mer’s, the last week in August, 1830.

Sidney Rigdon 20 and Orson Pratt 21 (who, with Oliver Cowdery and
David Whitmer were prominent in the early development of the Mormon
church), came to Fayette late in the year 1830.

In the latter part of January, 1831, Joseph Smith and wife, Sidney
Rigdon and others, removed to Kirtland, Ohio. The Whitmer and Jolly
families accompanied, or soon after followed there. ... [p. 48] ...

Oliver Cowdery, a school teacher, came to Fayette and taught a district
school in the Yost district before 1830, 22 and he with David Whitmer and
Martin Harris, 23 constituted the three witnesses certifying to the Book of
Mormon. (Mr. Lee Yost, now of Lenawee County, Michigan, aged eighty
five years, attended this term of school.) ... [p. 51]

20. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

21. On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

22. See VI.E.2, LEE YOST TO DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., 18 MAY
1897, where it is claimed that “Oliver Cowdry taught School in our district be¬
fore Joe Smith ... found the golden Plates,” which is doubtful.

23. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

295

Harrison Chamberlain
Reminiscence, 1903

Harrison Chamberlain, “The Kingdom,” Papers Read before the Seneca Falls
Historical Society (Seneca Falls, New York: Seneca Falls Historical Society,
1903), 20-21.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Harrison Chamberlain (ca. 1832-?), son of Jacob P. Chamberlain, set¬
tled in Seneca Falls with his parents in 1837. In 1870, he became one of the
proprietors of the National Yeast Company (History of Seneca Co., 1876, 110,
167; U.S. Census, Seneca Falls, Seneca County, New York, 1860:15). The
following reminiscence purports to give details ofjoseph Smith’s activities in
“The Kingdom,” a small community midway between Waterloo and Seneca
Falls. The name comes from “the devil’s kingdom” because ofits “reputation
for gangsters, gamesters, adventurers and fighters who made their headquar¬
ters at a tavern operated by Pontius Hooper” (unidentified newspaper clip¬
ping, cited in Porter 1971, 270). When Lucy Smith and her family moved
from Manchester to “Waterloo,” they apparently located at the Kingdom
(Porter 1971, 269). According to one source, “Judge [Gary V.] Sackett was
also acquainted with Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church,
when he was at the Kingdom and Kendig Creek making converts. Though
impressed with the earnestness of this new prophet he regarded him as
self-deceived by his fanciful notions and dreams” (Sackett 1905, 70).

... Another incident may well be mentioned because ofits connection
of the place with a religious ism that has developed into vast proportions. Just
east of the tavern and adjoining the Reamer blacksmith shop, there stood in
the fifties a small story and a half house. I remember it very well, and can re¬
call the fact that the neighbors spoke of it as the house where Joseph Smith,
the founder of Mormonism, lived for a while in the fall of 1823. 1 Their im-

1. While the year is incorrect, Lucy Smith and her family may have lived
in this house. Larry C. Porter reports: “On September 10, 1959, Stanley I.
Reynolds, a Waterloo genealogist, told Sister Wilford A. Hall, an LDS mission¬
ary at the Peter Whitmer Farm, the location, according to his research, of that
house. He directed her to a home which, at that time, was standing on the north

296

HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN REMINISCENCE, 1903

pressions of him were not on the whole very flattering. He had been in the
habit of coming over from Palmyra, making his living by pretending that he
could detect hidden springs of water. 2 He was a peculiar, odd looking man,
dressed in the plainest homespun, and rather an object of wit and pleasantry.
It was not till late in the fall of 1823 that he aroused particular interest in him¬
self. Then he claimed that he had a singular and mysterious mission. At the
start, only to a few of his most intimate friends did he [p. 20] disclose the na¬
ture of it. However it soon was noised about that Smith had received some
spiritual revelation, and the place was wild to learn more about it. Under ap¬
parently a simple and innocent manner, Smith must have been a keen judge
of human nature, understanding well how to excite curiosity and make con¬
verts. With great confidence he told how he had had a vision, how in that vi¬
sion an angel had pointed out to him a hill where golden plates were buried,
upon which were engraved the law of the “Latter Day Saints;” how he had
gone there and found these wonderful plates, becoming the possessor of the
latest revelation of God. Several believed and by their influence and money
gave the prophet great assistance. A church was organized and the baptism of
the first saints took place near by, at Silver Creek. 3 And in June 1830, the first
Mormon conference was held in the adjoining town of Fayette. 4 ...

side of State Highway 5, north of the Seneca River, in the Kingdom. The next
day, September 11,1959, Sister Hall, in the company of Mrs. Edna Kime, visited
the designated house and there met a Miss Duntz, an elderly lady who affirmed
the tradition of the house being that of the Smiths. Today, the purported Smith
home is no longer standing, having been torn down to make way for a business
district” (Porter 1971, 270-71).

2. On Joseph Smith’s possible early contact with Fayette, see VI.F.ll,
HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY (NY), 1876; AND VI.E.2, LEE YOST
TO DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., 18 MAY 1897. See also Quinn 1998, 51-52.

3. Another source claims that Joseph Smith “located at Kingdom, a mile
west of Seneca Falls, about 1821 or ’22 as a general hand for any kind of work. ...
His earliest ‘baptisms’—by immersion—were at Silver Creek, south of King¬
dom” (VI.E.5, ERNEST L. WELCH ACCOUNT, 1904).

4. See VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2
JAN 1831.

297

Ernest l. welch account, 1904

[Ernest L. Welch] (1855-?), “Grip’s” Historical Souvenir of Seneca Falls (Syra¬
cuse, New York: [Ernest L. Welch], 1904), 26.

“Mormon Joe,” as he was called—Joseph Smith, the founder of Mor-
monism, first made known his “divine discovery,” the “golden plates,”
which none hereabouts ever saw, to some of the prominent residents of
Junius. He located at Kingdom, a mile west of Seneca Falls, about 1821 or’22
as a general hand for any kind of work 1 ; but engaged chiefly in finding water
with a switch carried in the hand, a custom in those days. 2 He came here from
Pompey [Palmyra?] and lived chiefly by his wits. From this place he went
over into the town of Fayette, about 1830, where in April of that year he or¬
ganized the first Mormon church and baptized the first converts. Mr. Harri¬
son Chamberlain well remembers much told about his personality by his fa¬
ther and grandfather. 3

Strangely he procured financial assistance from wealthy men living
hereabouts to whom he in confidence first made known his “divine inspira¬
tions.” Some of these men sacrificed a good deal to furnish him funds. He
had with him an assistant or secretary, Oliver Cowdery, 4 who transcribed
what Mormon Joe, standing behind a curtain, professed to read from the
golden plates, the “inspired Word of God,” as Smith said.

He was a peculiar, odd looking man, dressed in the plainest homespun,
and rather an object of wit and pleasantry. It was not until the fall of 1823 that

1. Joseph Smith’s presence in Seneca County as early as 1821 or 1822 is
doubtful (cf. VI.E.4, HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN REMINISCENCE,
1903).

2. Diedrich Willers, Jr., wrote to Daniel Hendrix on 27 July 1895: “I
have heard of him as a day laborer in this Country for a couple of years prior to
1830, when he used to used a rod of some kind in pretending to hunt <locate>
water for farmers[,] wells, or minerals” (Willers Papers, Seneca Falls Historical
Society, Seneca Falls, New York).

3. This paragraph was taken from VI.E.4, HARRISON CHAMBER-
LAIN REMINISCENCE, 1903, 20-21.

4. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

298

ERNEST L. WELCH ACCOUNT, 1904

he aroused particular interest in himself. Then he claimed that he had a sin¬
gular and mysterious mission. It soon was noised about that Smith had re¬
ceived some spiritual revelation, and the place was wild to learn more about
it. Under apparently a simple and innocent manner, Smith must have been a
keen judge of human nature, understanding well how to excite curiosity and
make converts. 5

His earliest “baptisms”—by immersion—were at Silver Creek, south
of Kingdom. 6 He then resided in the house of Peter Whitmer, 7 three miles
south of Waterloo, where he gathered his few followers about him and
preached to them. ... 8

5. This paragraph was borrowed from VI.E.4, HARRISON CHAM¬
BERLAIN REMINISCENCE, 1903, 20-21.

6. Cf. VI.E.4, HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN REMINISCENCE,
1903, 21.

7. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

8. In addition to the above excerpt about Joseph Smith, Welch included
the statement of Grattis (also spelled Gratius or Gradis) C. DeYoe, “who has
lived in Waterloo longer than any other person (p. 13), having moved to
Waterloo in 1817, the year ofhis birth. According to Welch, DeYoe said: “I re¬
member Joe Smith, the Mormon prophet, when he had only twelve followers
and they met together for services in an old red house two miles south of the vil¬
lage” (p. 20). Larry C. Porter speculates that this “old red house” may have been
the “Whitmer School House” (Porter 1971, 254).

299

Miscellaneous

Non-Resident

SOURCES

Seneca Lake, near Fayette, New York, where many of the earliest converts
were baptized. Photo by George E. Anderson, 1907.

David marks account, 1831

[David Marks], The Life of David Marks (Limerick, Maine: [Office of The
Morning Star], [1831]), 340-41.

EDITORIAL NOTE

David Marks (1805-?) was born at Shendaken, Ulster County, New
York. Although of Jewish ancestry, his parents raised him as a Calvinistic
Baptist. In 1821, the fifteen-year-old Marks received an inward calling and
embarked on his life-long mission to preach the gospel (see D. Marks 1831;
M. Marks 1846). In 1829, he joined the Freewill Baptists in Phelps, New
York. On 29 March 1830, only days before the official organization of the
Mormon church, twenty-five-year-old Marks visited the Whitmer resi¬
dence at Fayette, New York. Writing from Canandaigua on 8 April, he re¬
ported that he and others had “tarried in this place [Geneva] and enjoyed two
good meetings. After this, we went to Fayette & held one meeting; then
went to Lyons, ...” (“Journal of D. Marks,” The Morning Star [Limerick,
Maine] 4 [28 April 1830]: 1). This published journal excerpt failed to men¬
tion Marks’s meeting with the Whitmers, but when published in book form
the following year, the narrative included his encounter with the Whitmers,
perhaps because of increasing interest in the new sect. He probably relied on
his memory to complete this portion of his journal, and this may account for
some of the inaccuracies that are evident in it.

... On Monday, March 15 [1830], we left Scriba, and after a tedious
journey, arrived at Canandaigua.

During the week following, I journeyed about one hundred and fifty
miles, and suffered much from a tedious storm. Sabbath, March 28, I
preached twice to a small assembly in Geneva. Next day, we attended a
meeting in Fayette, and tarried at the house of Mr. [Peter] Whitmer. 1 Here
we saw two or three of his sons, and others to the number of eight, who said
they were witnesses of a certain book just published, called the “ Golden Bi¬
ble,” or “ Book of Mormon.” They affirmed, that an angel had showed them

1. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

303

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

certain plates of metal, having the appearance of gold, 2 that were dug out of
the ground by one Joseph Smith; that on these plates was written a history of
the ten tribes of Israel which were lost, 3 and revelations to different prophets
that arose among them. They stated the writing could be read by no person,
except by the said Smith; and, that the Lord had inspired him to translate and
publish the book,—that none, but twelve chosen witnesses, had been al¬
lowed to see these plates, 4 and that now they were 66 hid up unto the Lord.”
They further stated, that twelve apostles were to be appointed [cf. D&C 18],
who would soon confirm their mission by miracles—and, that if any one
read their bible and did not believe, they would be given up and lost for ever.
These eight, we understood, were in company with Smith and three others.
A copy right was secured by Smith in his own name. 5 The book contains
about six [p. 340] hundred octavo pages of small print. Five thousand copies
were published—and they said the angel told Smith to sell the book at a price
which was one dollar and eight cents per copy more than the cost, that they
“might have the temporal profit, as well as the spiritual.” 6 ...

2. Marks’s association of the eight witnesses with an angelic appearance is
interesting. It may be that David Whitmer related his experience to Marks, who
assumed it was the common experience for all of the witnesses.

3. It was common for those unfamiliar with the Book of Mormon to
mistakenly associate its tale of migrant Jews with the lost tribes of Israel.

4. Probably a reference to the three and eight witnesses and Joseph

Smith.

5. See III.L.12, BOOK OF MORMON COPYRIGHT, 11JUN 1829.

6. That the sales price of the Book of Mormon had been set by revelation
is reported in III.A.15, HENRY HARRIS STATEMENT, CIRCA 1833;
III.D.2, SYLVIA WALKER STATEMENT, 20 MAR 1885; and III.F.l,
MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN A. CLARK, 1827 &
1828. In the second edition of Marks’s autobiography published in 1846, the fol¬
lowing was added: “They urged me to purchase a copy, and finally offered me
one for $1.25. £ But,’ said I, ‘I understand you to say the angel told you to sell it for
$1.75.’ They replied, ‘The angel said we might sell it for that sum, but did not say
we should not sell it for any less.’”

304

SIDNEY RIGDON TO OHIO SAINTS,
4 JANUARY 1831

Sidney Rigdon to Ohio Saints, 4 January 1831, E. D. Howe, Mormonism
Unvailed: or, A Faithful Account of That Singular Imposition and Delusion, from Its
Rise to the Present Time (Painesville, Ohio: E. D. Howe, 1834), 110-11.

EDITORIAL NOTE

By 7 December 1830, Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge had ar¬
rived at Fayette, New York, to meet the Mormon prophet. Sometime dur¬
ing the month, Smith and Rigdon visited Canandaigua, where Smith re¬
ceived a revelation instructing him to stop work on his Bible revision until he
relocated to Ohio (D&C 37). At a church conference held on 2 January 1831
at the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr., in Fayette, Smith dictated a revelation
commanding the New York church to gather to Ohio (D&C 38). Smith de¬
cided to send John Whitmer to Kirtland, Ohio, as the “presiding elder” of
the church in that region. As Whitmer told it, after the conference and a brief
visit to Colesville, “The Lord manifested himself to Joseph the Revelator
and gave commandment for me to go to Ohio, and carry the commandments
and revelations, with me, to comfort and strengthen my brethren in that
land” (VI.B.l, JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, 1831, 10). The following
letter, apparently written on 4 January, is Rigdon’s introduction of Whitmer
to the church in the Kirtland area. The Painesville Telegraph announced his ar¬
rival in Ohio: “A young man by the name of Whitmer arrived here last week
from Manchester, New York, the seat of wonders, with a new batch of reve¬
lations from God, as he pretended, which have just been communicated to
Joseph Smith” (18 January 1831). E. D. Howe reported that Rigdon’s “com¬
munication caused great rejoicing in the congregation. They were then re¬
siding upon their ‘eternal inheritance’” (Howe 1834, 111).

[4 January 1831] 1

I send you this letter by John Whitmer. 2 Receive him, for he is a

1. Because Rigdon refers to the 2 January 1831 revelation (D&C 38) as
“one of the commandments, received day before yesterday,” he apparently
wrote his letter on 4 January 1831.

2. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

305

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

brother greatly beloved, and an Apostle of this church. 3 With him we send all
the revelations which we have received 4 ; for the Lord has declared unto us
that you [have been] prayfing] unto him that Joseph Smith and myself
[might] go speedily [p. 110] unto you [cf. D&C 39:16]; but at present it is not
expedient for him [the Lord] to send us. He [the Lord] has required of us,
therefore, to send unto you our beloved brother John, and with him the rev¬
elations which he [the Lord] has given unto us, by which you will see the rea¬
son why we cannot come at this time. 5 The Lord has made known unto us,
some of his great things which he has laid up for them that love him, among
which the fact (a glory of wonders it is) that you are living on the land of
promise, and that there is the place of gathering, and from that place to the Pa¬
cific Ocean, God has dedicated to himself, not only in time, but through
eternity, and he has given it to us and our children, not only while time lasts,
but we shall have it again in eternity, as you will see by one of the command¬
ments, received day before yesterday. 6 Therefore, be it known to you, breth¬
ren, that you are dwelling on your eternal inheritance; for which, cease not
to give ceaseless glory, praise and thanksgiving to the God of Heaven.—Yes,
lift up your heads with joy, for the kingdom is ours till the Savior comes, even
so, Amen [cf. D&C 38:9, 15]—therefore, prepare your hearts to receive sal¬
vation which God has sent unto you, knowing that they [the revelations]
have come from God; and know assuredly if you receive them, you shall re-

3. The title of “apostle” is probably due to the close association of elder
and apostle in the “Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ” (D&C
20:38).

4. Joseph Smith reported that about July 1830 “I began to arrange and
copy the revelations which we had received from time to time, in which I was
assisted by John Whitmer, who now resided with me” in Harmony, Pennsylva¬
nia (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 50).

5. A revelation dictated in Canandaigua sometime in December 1830
states: “Ye shall not go until ye have preached my gospel in those parts, and have
strengthened up the church whithersoever it is found, and more especially in
Colesville; for, behold, they pray unto me in much faith” (D&C 37:2).

6. During a church conference on 2 January 1831, Smith dictated a reve¬
lation commanding New York Mormons to gather in Ohio and declaring: “I
hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a
land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the
Lord cometh; and I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you
seek it with all your hearts. And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have
it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children for¬
ever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more
to pass away” (D&C 38:18-20).

306

SIDNEY RIGDON TO OHIO SAINTS, 1831

ceive greater things, yes, things unspeakable and full of glory—’’such as eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to
conceive [cf. Isa. 64:4; 1 Cor. 2:9],” for our God hath in visions shown it
unto me. 7 Therefore, I write with the greatest certainty of these things which
he hath prepared for us—yes, even us, forever, who receive the revelations of
the last days, are the very people of whom the prophets spoke, and the very
saints who shall rejoice with Jesus[.]

[Sidney Rigdon]

7. Ezra Booth reported in 1831 that Rigdon “has been favored with
many extraordinary visions, in some of which he saw Kirtland with the sur¬
rounding country, consecrated as the promised land, and the Churches in the
state of N.Y. expected to receive their everlasting inheritance in the state of
Ohio, and this expectation was grounded upon Rigdon’s visions, while he was
in the state of N.Y.” (VI.F.3, EZRA BOOTH ACCOUNTS, 1831).

307

EZRA BOOTH ACCOUNTS, 1831

1. Ezra Booth to Ira Eddy, 24 October 1831, “Mormonism—No. Ill”
[letter III], Ohio Star (Ravenna, Ohio) 2 (27 October 1831): 3; re¬
printed in E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, OH: E. D.
Howe, 1834), 186-87.

2. Ezra Booth to Ira Eddy, 29 November 1831, “Mormonism—Nos.
VIII—IX” [letter VIII], Ohio Star, 8 December 1831, 1; rpt. in Mor¬
monism Unvailed, 215-16.

3. Ezra Booth to Ira Eddy, 6 December 1831, “Mormonism—Nos.
VIII—IX” [letter IX], Ohio Star, 8 December 1831, 1; rpt. in Mor¬
monism Unvailed, 217.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On Ezra Booth (1792-?), who was ordained a high priest in June 1831,
was sent on a mission to Missouri and soon after apostatized, and for informa¬
tion about his nine letters that were published in the Ohio Star, see the intro¬
duction to III.F.4, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH EZRA
BOOTH, 1831. Below are extracts from three of his letters to the Reverend
Ira Eddy of Ravenna, Ohio, which deal with Mormon origins in New York.

[1. Letter to Ira Eddy, 24 October 1831]

Nelson, Portage Co. Oct. 24, 1831.

REV. & DEAR SIR—

... [Joseph] Smith is the only person at present, to my knowledge, who
pretends to hold converse with the inhabitants of the celestial world. It seems
from his statements, that he can have access to them, when and where he
pleases. He does not pretend that he sees them with his natural, but with his
spiritual eyes; and he says he can see them as well with his eyes shut, as with
them open. So also in translating.—The subject stands before his eyes in
print, but it matters not whether his eyes are open or shut; he can see as well
one way as the other.

You have probably read the testimony of the three witnesses appended
to the Book of Mormon. These witnesses testify, that an angel appeared to
them, and presented them the golden plates, and the voice of God declared it
to be a Divine Record. To this they frequently testify, in the presence of

308

EZRA BOOTH ACCOUNTS, 1831

large congregations. 1 When in Missouri, I had an opportunity to examine a
commandment given to these witnesses, previous to their seeing the plates
[D&C 17]. They were informed that they should see and hear those things by
faith, and then they should testify to the world, as though they had seen and
heard, as I see a man, and hear his voice: but after all, it amounts simply to
this; that by faith or imagination, they saw the plates and the angel, and by
faith or imagination, they heard the voice of the Lord.

Smith describes an angel, as having the appearance of “a tall, slim, well
built, handsome man, with a bright pillar upon his head.” The Devil once,
he says, appeared to him in the same form, excepting upon his head he had a
“black pillar,” and by this mark, he was able to distinguish him from the
former.

It passes for a current fact in the Mormonite church, that there are im¬
mense treasures in the earth, especially in those places in the State of N.Y.
from whence many of the Mormonites emigrated last spring: and when they
become sufficiently purified, these treasures are to be poured into the lap of
their church; and then, to use their own language, they are to be the richest
people in the world. These treasures were discovered several years since, by
means of the dark glass, the same with which Smith says he translated most of
the Book of Mormon—Several of those persons, together with Smith, who
were formerly unsuccessfully engaged in digging and searching for these
treasures, now reside in this county, and from themselves I received this
information.

Yours, affectionately,
EZRA BOOTH.

REV. I. EDDY.

[2. Letter, 29 November 1831\

Nelson, Portage Co. Nov. 29 , 1831.

REV. Sc DEAR SIR—

... Smith apprehended a revival in the department of written inspira¬
tion, from another quarter; and hence Cowdery 2 was commissioned to com¬
mence an attack, and suppress the enemy, before he had acquired sufficient
stability and strength, so as to become formidable. “Thou shalt take thy
brother Hiram between him and thee alone, and tell him the things he hath

1. See introduction to VI.G.l, TESTIMONY OF THREE WIT¬
NESSES, JUN 1829.

2. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

309

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

written from that stone,” See. [D&C 28:11] Hiram Page, 3 one of the eight
witnesses, and also one of the “money diggers,” found a smooth stone, upon
which there appeared to be a writing, which when transcribed upon paper,
disappeared from the stone, and another impression appeared in its place.
This when copied, vanished as the former had done, and so it continued, al¬
ternately appearing and disappearing; in the meanwhile, he continued to
write, until he had written over considerable paper. It bore most striking
marks of a Mormonite revelation, and was received as an authentic docu¬
ment by most of the Mormonites, till Smith, by his superior sagacity, discov¬
ered it to be a Satanic fraud. 4 ...

Yours affectionately,
EZRA BOOTH.

REV I. EDDY.

[3. Letter, 6 December 1831]

Nelson, Portage Co. Dec. 6, 1831.

REV. Sc DEAR SIR—

... Rigdon 5 is one who has ascended to the summit ofMormonism; and
his vision stands as the foundation of his knowledge. He frequently affirms,
that these things are not a matter of faith with him, but of absolute knowl¬
edge. He has been favored with many extraordinary visions, in some of
which he saw Kirtland with the surrounding country, consecrated as the
promised land, and the Churches in the state of N.Y. expected to receive
their everlasting inheritance in the state of Ohio, and this expectation was
grounded upon Rigdon’s visions, while he was in the state of N.Y. These vi¬
sions are considered by the Church as entitled to no credit, and laid aside as
mere rubbish. 6 ...

Yours affectionately,
EZRA BOOTH.

REV. I. EDDY.

3. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

4. See I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 54-58.

5. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

6. Regarding Rigdon’s visions, see VI.F.2, SIDNEY RIGDON TO
OHIO SAINTS, 4 JAN 1831; and VI.F.5, SIDNEY RIGDON REMINIS¬
CENCE, 1844.

310

WILLIAM SCOBY OBITUARY, 1834

William Scoby, “Obituary,” The Evening and The Morning Star (Kirtland,
Ohio) 2 (March 1834): 139.

EDITORIAL NOTE

William Scoby (ca. 1811-33) joined the Mormons in Fayette, New
York, presumably in 1830. Probably in June 1830, Scoby met Almira Mack,
daughter of Stephen and Temperance Mack of Pontiac, Michigan, who was
visiting her aunt, Lucy Mack Smith, in Manchester, New York. Soon after,
William and Almira were married (Porter 1971,261). In 1831 they moved to
Ohio, where William was ordained a priest on 25 October 1831 (Cannon
and Cook 1983, 25). The last two years of his life were spent in Pontiac,
Michigan, near his wife’s relatives. Only twenty-two years of age, William
became ill and suddenly died on 4 December 1833. The following obituary
appeared in the March 1834 issue of The Evening and the Morning Star under
Oliver Cowdery’s editorship.

DIED on the 4th of December, last, near Pontiac, Michigan Territory,
of consumption, brother WILLIAM SCOBY, formerly of Fayette, Seneca
county, N.Y. aged 22 years. Brother Sfcoby]. received and obeyed the ever¬
lasting gospel, in Fayette, after which he emigrated to this country [Ohio] in
1831. For the last two years of his life he has resided in Michigan. Our per¬
sonal acquaintance with bro. Sfcoby]. was very limited, but we are credibly
informed that he was a worthy member of the church of Christ, and that he
died as he lived, in the full assurance of a glorious resurrection at the appear¬
ing of our Lord. His death should have been noticed by us ere this; but the
letter which gave the intelligence of his decease did not bring the account of
his age, See. ...

311

Sidney Rigdon Reminiscence, 1844

“Conference Minutes,” Times and Seasons (Nauvoo, Illinois) 5 (1 May 1844):
522-24; reprinted in The Prophet (New York City), 8 June 1844.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Sidney Rigdon 1 was cut off from the church in 1843 after plotting to
have Joseph Smith arrested and taken to Missouri. He was forgiven and sub¬
sequently reinstated as Smith’s counselor in the First Presidency. On 19
March 1844, Rigdon became a member of the Council of Fifty, a secret
group designed to further the church’s political interests (Quinn 1980; M.
Hill 1989, xvi, 139-40). On 6 April 1844, Rigdon spoke at the conference
held in Nauvoo, Illinois. In the presence ofjoseph and Hyrum Smith, he re¬
counted events of the early church. In the hand of Willard Richards, Joseph
Smith’s journal records: “Pres[iden]t Sidney Rigdon arose and ... gave a brief
history of the origin and progress of the Church” (Faulring 1987, 463).
Rigdon’s remarks were published the following month in the Times and Sea¬
sons , then in The Prophet, a publication of the church in New York, edited by
William Smith.

... Elder Sidney Rigdon then rose and said, ... The circumstances by
which we are now surrounded points out the principles of my discourse—
the history of this church which I have known from its infancy. ... I recollect
in the year 1830, I met the whole church of Christ in a little old log house
about 20 feet square, near Waterloo, N.Y. 2 and we began to talk about the
kingdom of God as if we had the world at our command; we talked with
great confidence, and talked big things, although we were not many people,

1. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

2. Lucy Smith described Rigdon’s arrival at Waterloo: “The following
december Joseph [Smith] came with his wife again to Waterloo and appointed a
Meeting at our house[.] while he was preaching Sydney and Rigdon and Ed¬
ward Partridge came in....” (I.B.5,LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag.
9). It is doubtful that the “whole church” was present at this meeting since Oli¬
ver Cowdery and three others had gone to Missouri and Joseph Smith, Sr., was
still in jail and Hyrum Smith and family were in Colesville with the Knights.

312

SIDNEY RIGDON REMINISCENCE, 1844

we had big feelings; we knew fourteen years ago that the church would be¬
come as large as it is to-day; we were as big then, as we shall ever be; we began
to talk like men in authority and power—we looked upon the men of the
earth as grass hoppers; if we did not see this people, we saw by vision, the
church of God, a thousand times larger 3 ; and when men would come in, they
would say we wanted to upse [upset] the government, [p. 522] although we
were not enough to well man a farm, or meet a woman with a milk pail; all
the elders, all the members, met in conference, in a room 20 feet square. I
recollect elder Phelps 4 being put in jail for reading the Book of Mormon. 5 He
came to see us, and expressed great astonishment, 6 and left us apparently pon¬
dering in his heart; he afterward came to Kirtland, Ohio, and said he was a
convert. 7 Many things were taught, believed, and preached, then, which
have since come to pass; we knew the whole world would laugh at us, so we
concealed ourselves; and there was much excitement about our secret meet¬
ings, charging us with designs against the government, and with laying plans
to get money, See. which never existed in the heads of any one else, and if we
had talked in public, we should have been ridiculed more than we were, the
world being entirely ignorant of the testimony of the prophets and without
knowledge of what God was about to do; treated all we said with pretended
contempt, and much ridicule; and had they have hea[r]d all we said, it would
have made it worse for us; we talked about the people coming as doves to the
windows, that all nations should flock unto it; that they should come bend¬
ing to the standard of Jesus, saying, our fathers have taught falsehood, and
things in which there is no profit; and of whole nations being bom in one
day; we talked such big things that men could not bear them, and they not

3. Ezra Booth reported that while in New York in December 1830 and
January 1831, Sidney Rigdon had “many extraordinary visions, in some of
which he saw Kirtland with the surrounding country, consecrated as the prom¬
ised land, and the Churches in the state of N.Y. expected to receive their ever¬
lasting inheritance in the state of Ohio” (VI.F.3, EZRA BOOTH AC¬
COUNTS, 1831). Previous to the arrival of Rigdon, Smith had sent Oliver
Cowdery and others to Missouri in search of a location for the New Jerusalem
temple.

4. On William W. Phelps (1792-1872), see introduction to III.G.6, OL¬
IVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834.

5. See III.1.9, W. W. PHELPS TO OLIVER COWDERY, 21 FEB

1835.

6. Phelps said that he met Smith and Rigdon on 24 December 1830
(III.1.9, W. W. PHELPS TO OLIVER COWDERY, 21 FEB 1835; III.I.2, W.
W. PHELPS TO E. D. HOWE, 15 JAN 1831).

7. Phelps was baptized on 16 June 1831.

313

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

only ridiculed us for what we did say in public, but threatened and inflicted
much personal abuse, and had they heard all we said, their violence would
have been insupportable. God had great things to say for the salvation of the
world, which, if they had been told to the public, would have brought perse¬
cution upon us unto death; so we were obliged to retire to our secret cham¬
bers, and commune ourselves with God. [He here referred to the prayer of
elder Phelps concerning our having arrived at the age to choose our own
guardian.] 8 If we had told the people what our eyes behold this day, we
should not be believed; but the rascals would have shed our blood, if we had
only told them what we believed. There we sat in secret and beheld the glori¬
ous visions, and powers of the kingdom of heaven, pass and repass; we had
not a mighty congregation to shelter us—if a mob came upon us, we had to
run and hide ourselves to save our lives. The time has now come to tell why
we held secret meetings. We were maturing plans fourteen years ago which
we can now tell; were we maturing plans to corrupt the world, to destroy the
peace of society? Let fourteen years experience of the church tell the story.
The church never would have been here, if we had not done as we did in se¬
cret. The cry of false prophet and imposter rolled upon us. I do not know that
any thing has taken place in the history of this church, which we did not then
believe; it was written upon our hearts, and never could be taken away; it was
indelibly engraved, no power beneath yonder heavens could obliterate it.
This was the period when God laid the foundation of the church, and he laid
it firmly, truly, and upon eternal truth. If any man says it is not the work of
God, I know they lie. ... These were the beginning of good days; shut up in a
room, eating nothing but dry johnny cake and buttermilk; every man who
had a little farm, or clothes, sold them and distributed what he had among the
rest, and did the best they could. I had nothing to eat, nothing to wear, and
yet it was the beginning of good days. ... W ould you not be astonished if even
now we should tell the glories and the privileges of the saints of God to you,
and to the world, we should be ridiculed; and no wonder we shut it up in se¬
cret; if we were to tell you [p. 523] whenjehovah looked on, lo it is beauty, it
is heaven, it is felicity to look on; I should marvel if it were otherwise; if a
man tells you one glory or one message, he is learning another at the same
time. Do not be astonished then if we even yet have secret meetings; asking
God for things for your benefit. Do not be afraid, go back to the commence¬
ment of this church, and see what was concocted then; there was no evil con¬
cocted when we first held secret meetings, and it is the same now. ... I am go¬
ing to tell of something that surprised me at the beginning of the church; I

8. Bracketed material in original.

314

SIDNEY RIGDON REMINISCENCE, 1844

have handled, heard, seen and known things which I have not yet told. After
the church began to grow, it was favored with monstrous wise men; they had
so much wisdom that they could dispute what God said, and what his servant
said. They were opposed to virtue; they would say they had revelations and
visions, and were as certain that God had given it, as I was that the devil had.
... I do not know whether there are any of these wise men here this morning;
I have merely given this as a part of the history of this church. I am disposed to
give some reasons why salvation only belongs to the kingdom of God, and to
that alone. I will endeavor to show why salvation belongs to us more pecu¬
liarly, in contradistinction of all other bodies; will this be clear enough? I dis¬
cover one thing, mankind have labored under one universal mistake about
this, viz: Salvation was distinct from government; i.e.; that I can build a
church without government, and that thing have power to save me. When
God sets up a system of salvation, he sets up a system of a government; when I
speak of government I mean what I say; I mean a government that shall rule
over temporal and spiritual affairs. ...

315

PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY (PART II),

Circa 1854

Parley P. Pratt, The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, ed. Parley P. Pratt, Jr.
(New York: Russell Brothers, 1874), 42-46.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On Parley P. Pratt (1807-57) and his autobiography, see introduction
to III.K.16, PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY (PART I), CIR¬
CA 1854.

... I now returned immediately to Hyrum Smith’s 1 residence [in Man¬
chester, New York], and demanded baptism at his hands. I tarried with him
one night, and the next day we walked some twenty-five miles to the resi¬
dence of Mr. [Peter] Whitmer, 2 in Seneca County. Here we arrived in the
evening, and found a most welcome reception, [p. 42]

This was the family, several of whose names were attached to the Book
of Mormon as witnesses—Mr. Joseph Smith having translated much of the
book in Whitmer’s chamber.

I found the little branch of the church in this place full of joy, faith, hu¬
mility and charity. We rested the night, and on the next day, being about the
1st of September, 1830, I was baptized by the hand of an Apostle of the
Church ofjesus Christ, by the name of Oliver Cowdery. 3 This took place in
Seneca Lake, a beautiful and transparent sheet of water in Western New
York.

A meeting was held the same evening, and after singing a hymn and

1. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

2. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.” In 1858, Pratt recalled: “About the first of September, A.D. 1830,1
was baptized by the hand of an Apostle, named Oliver Cowdery. This took place
in Seneca Lake. I was confirmed the same day and ordained an Elder at the house
of Father Whitmer, Seneca county, N.Y.” (Parley P. Pratt, “History of Parley P.
Pratt,” Deseret News 8 [19 May 1858]: 53).

316

PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY (PART II), 1854

prayer, Elder Cowdery and others proceeded to lay their hands upon my
head in the name ofjesus, for the gift of the Holy Ghost. After which I was
ordained to the office of an Elder in the Church, which included authority to
preach, baptize, administer the sacrament, administer the Holy Spirit, by the
laying on of hands in the name ofjesus Christ, and to take the lead of meet¬
ings of worship [D&C 20:38-45].

I now felt that I had authority in the ministry.

On the next Sabbath 4 5 I preached to a large concourse of people, assem¬
bled at the house of a Mr. [Philip?] Burroughs.^ The Holy Ghost came upon
me mightily. I spoke the word of God with power, reasoning out of the
Scriptures and the Book of Mormon. The people were convinced, over¬
whelmed in tears, and four heads of families came forward, expressing their
faith, and were baptized.

My work was now completed, for which I took leave of my wife and
the canal boat some two or three weeks previous.

I now took leave of the little branch of the church with which I had
been associated, and pursued my journey to the land of my fathers and of my
boyhood.

I found my wife in health and spirits, enjoying herself with her friends. I
also found my father and mother, [p. 43] friends and kindred, and, among
others, my good old aunt and cousins, at the old homestead, where I always
found a welcome reception.

This was a pleasant and retired mountain valley, consisting of a beauti¬
ful farm and a small and convenient house, out-buildings, orchard, meadow,
etc., encircled on the south, west and north with a curve of hills, consisting of
farming lands and pasture, and their summits and bosoms partially clothed
with a beautiful forest of pine and chestnut; while the scene opened to the
southeast in a descending landscape to a beautiful vale of some miles in ex¬
tent, filled with flourishing farms and dwellings, and watered by a winding
stream; while far beyond stretched other hills and pine-clad mountains, and
the spire of a church and a small town were seen nestling among the hills at
two miles distance.

This was the residence of my aunt [Lovina] Van Cott, 6 and the place
where I had spent some of the happiest seasons of my youth. My aunt had
three children—an only son, and two daughters. These were now in the

4. The first Sunday after Pratt’s baptism would be 5 September 1830.

5. On Philip Burroughs, see VI.E.2, LEE YOST TO DIEDRICH
WILLERS, JR., 18 MAY 1897, n. 14.

6. On Lovina Van Cott, see III.K.16, PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBI¬
OGRAPHY (PART I), CIRCA 1854, n. 7.

317

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

bloom of early youth, and were fast advancing to a state of maturity. Her hus¬
band had died at an early day, after an illness of seven years; and here lived the
widow and orphans, surrounded with peace and plenty, blooming with
health, and smiling with innocence and joy. Retired from the throng of busy,
boisterous life, and strangers to most of its woes, ills and corruptions, the
stranger who happened there was welcome; the hungry were fed, the naked
were clothed, and, above all, the kindred found a hearty reception. In short,
it was a spot, in all respects, adapted to retirement and contemplation, where
the poet and the novelist would find a thousand things to please the imagina¬
tion, and to swell their favorite volumes.

In this visit to my native place, there was one family greatly missed by
me. I felt keenly the disappointment at not seeing them—that of my old em¬
ployer, Wm. S. Her[p. 44]rick. 7 He had moved to the West, and his house
was occupied by strangers.

I now commenced my labors in good earnest. I addressed crowded au¬
diences almost every day, and the people, who had known me from a child,
seemed astonished—knowing that I had had but little opportunity of acquir¬
ing knowledge by study; and while many were interested in the truth, some
began to be filled with envy, and with a lying, persecuting spirit. My father,
mother, aunt Van Cott, and many others, believed the truth in part; but my
brother Orson, 8 a youth of nineteen years, received it with all his heart, and
was baptized at that time, 9 and has ever since spent his days in the ministry.

It was during my labors in these parts, in the autumn of 1830, that a very
singular and extraordinary sign was shown in the heavens, which I will here
describe.

I had been on a visit to a singular people called Shakers, at New Leba¬
non, about seven miles from my aunt Van Cott’s, and was returning that dis¬
tance, on foot, on a beautiful evening of September. The sky was without a
cloud; the stars shone out beautifully, and all nature seemed reposing in
quiet, as I pursued my solitary way, wrapt in deep meditations on the predic¬
tions of the holy prophets; the signs of the times; the approaching advent of
the Messiah, to reign on the earth, and the important revelations of the Book
of Mormon; my heart filled with gratitude to God that He had opened the
eyes of my understanding to receive the truth, and with sorrow for the blind-

7. William S. Herrick is listed in the 1820 census of New Lebanon, Co¬
lumbia County, New York, as being over forty-five years of age (1820:276).

8. On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

9. Parley baptized his brother Orson at Canaan, Columbia County, New
York, on 19 September 1830.

318

PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY (PART II), 1854

ness of those who lightly rejected the same, when my attention was aroused
by a sudden appearance of a brilliant light which shone around me, above the
brightness of the sun. I cast my eyes upward to inquire from whence the light
came, when I perceived a long chain of light extended in the heavens, very
bright, and of a deep fiery red. It at first stood stationary in a horizontal posi¬
tion; at length bending in the center, the [p. 45] two ends approached each
other with a rapid movement, so as to form an exact square. In this position it
again remained stationary for some time, perhaps a minute, and then again
the ends approached each other with the same rapidity, and again ceased to
move, remaining stationary, for perhaps a minute, in the form of a compass;
it then commenced a third movement in the same manner, and closed like
the closing of a compass, the whole forming a straight line like a chain dou¬
bled. It again remained stationary for a minute, and then faded away.

I fell upon my knees in the street, and thanked the Lord for so marvel¬
lous a sign of the coming of the Son of Man.

Some persons may smile at this, and say that all these exact movements
were by chance; but, for my part, I could as soon believe that the letters of the
alphabet would be formed by chance, and be placed so as to spell my name, as
to believe that these signs (known only to the wise) could be formed and
shown forth by chance. ...

319

7 .

PARLEY P. PRATT REMINISCENCE (PART II),

1856

Parley P. Pratt, “Discourse By Elder Parley P. Pratt, Bowery, Sunday, Sep¬
tember 7th, 1856. Reported by J[ohn]. V. Long,” Deseret News 6 (24 De¬
cember 1856): 332.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On Parley Parker Pratt (1807-57), see introduction to III.K.16, PAR¬
LEY P. PRATT AUT OB IO GRAPH Y (PART I), CIRCA 1854.

... There are some, I presume, in this congregation who personally
have been strangers to me and who have not heard my testimony. I have
been acquainted in this Church and connected with it, from the first year of
its organization in the wilderness of western New York. It was organized on
the 6th day of April, 1830, and I was baptized into it about the first of the Sep¬
tember following.

When I first became a member of this Church, one small room could
have contained all the members there then were in the world, and that too
without being crowded, for at times I presume there were not fifty. ...

As before stated, I fulfilled my two appointments; 1 crowds heard me
and were interested, and solicited me to make more appointmentsf.] I told
them that I would not, that I had a duty to perform for myself. I bid them
farewell, and returned to Hyrum Smith, who took me to a place, about
twenty-five miles off, in Seneca county, New York. He there introduced me
to the three witnesses whose names appear at the beginning of the Book of
Mormon, also to the eight witnesses. I conversed with Oliver Cowdery, 2
one of the three witnesses, and on the next day we repaired to Seneca Lake,
where I was baptized by Oliver Cowdery, then the second Apostle in this
Church, and a man who had received the ministration of an angel, as you can
learn by reading his testimony. 3

1. See III.K.21, PARLEY P. PRATT FJEMINISCENCE (PART I),

1845.

2. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

3. See III.G.6, OLIVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP
1834, 14-15.

320

PARLEY P. PRATT REMINISCENCE (PART II), 1856

After being baptized, I was confirmed in a little meeting during the
same day, was full of the Holy Ghost, and was ordained an Elder. This tran¬
spired on the first day of September, 1830, and from that day to this I have
endeavored to magnify my calling, and to honor the priesthood which God
has given me by testifying, to both small and great, of the things that he has
revealed in these last days. ...

321

ORSON PRATT ACCOUNT, 1858

[Orson Pratt], “History of Brigham Young. History of Orson Pratt,” Deseret
News 8 (2 June 1858): 61-62; reprinted in the Millennial Star 27 (28 January
1865): 55.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

... [T]he early impressions of morality and religion, instilled into my
mind by my parents, always remained with me; and I often felt a great anxiety
to be prepared for a future state; but never commenced, in real earnest, to
seek after the Lord, until the autumn of 1829. I then began to pray very fer¬
vently, repenting of every sin. In the silent shades of night, while others were
slumbering upon their pillows, I often retired to some secret place in the
lonely fields or solitary wilderness, and bowed before the Lord, and prayed
for hours with a broken heart and a contrite spirit: this was my comfort and
delight. The greatest desire of my heart was for the Lord to manifest His will
concerning me. I continued to pray in this fervent manner until September,
1830, at which time two Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints, came into the neighborhood, one of which was my brother Parley.
They held several meetings which I attended.

Being convinced of the divine authenticity of the doctrine they taught,
I was baptized September 19, 1830. 1 This was my birth-day, being nineteen
years old. I was the only person in the country who received and obeyed the
message. Shortly after my baptism the Elders left.

In October, 1830, I traveled westward over two hundred miles to see
Joseph Smith, the Prophet. I found him in Fayette, Seneca county, N.Y., re¬
siding in the house of Mr. [Peter] Whit[p. 61]mer. 2 I soon became intimately
acquainted with this good man, and also with the witnesses of the Book of

1. He was baptized by his brother Parley P. Pratt in Canaan, New York
(see VI.F.6, PARLEY P. PILATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY [PART II], CIRCA
1854).

2. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

322

ORSON PRATT ACCOUNT, 1858

Mormon. By my request, on the 4th of Nov., the Prophet Joseph inquired of
the Lord for me, and received the revelation published in the Doctrine and
Covenants, sec. lvi. [D&C 34] 3

On the 1st day of December, 1830,1 was confirmed, and in accordance
with the word of the Lord, I was ordained an Elder under the hands of the
Prophet. My first mission was to Colesville, Broome county, N.Y., where I
commenced to open my mouth in public meetings, and teach the things of
God, as the Holy Ghost gave me utterance. 4 The same month I returned
from Colesville to Fayette, accompanied by Hyrum Smith. 5

On the 2nd of January, 1831, 6 1 attended a conference at the house of
Father [Peter] Whitmer; and soon after Elder Samuel H. Smith 7 and myself
commenced laboring for one of the Saints, by the name of Joseph Coe, 8 to
assist him in making preparations to remove to Ohio according to the revela-

3. Concerning this revelation, Orson Pratt stated: “He [Smith] retired
into the chamber of old Father Whitmer. ... John Whitmer acted as his scribe,
and I accompanied him into the chamber, for he had told me that it was my priv¬
ilege to have the word of the Lord” (Young et al. 1853-86, 17:290). Pratt gave
the following account to James R. B. Vancleave: “He [Pratt] says that after he
was ordained an Elder in the Church of Christ, he was anxious to know what his
mission was and would be, and at Peter Whitmer Sr’s residence he asked Joseph
whether he could not ascertain what his mission was, and Joseph answered him
that he would see, Sc asked Pratt and John Whitmer to go upstairs with him, and
on arriving there Joseph produced a small stone called a seer stone, and putting it
into a Hat soon commenced speaking and asked Elder P[ratt]. to write as he
would speak, but being too young and timid and feeling his unworthiness he
asked whether Bro. John Wfhitmer]. could not write it, and the Prophet said
that he could: Then came the revelation to the three named given Nov. 4th
1830 as can be found in the book of Dfoctrine]. Sc Covenants” (James R. B.
Vancleave to Joseph Smith III, 29 September 1878, Community of Christ Li¬
brary-Archives, Independence, Missouri; cited in Cook 1991, 239-40).

4. See I.A.5, JOSEPH SMITH TO COLESVILLE SAINTS, 2 DEC

1830.

5. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

6. See VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 2 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 Sc 2
JAN 1831; and I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 88-90.

7. On Samuel Harrison Smith (1808-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 13.

8. Joseph Coe (1784-1854) eventually lost faith and was excommuni¬
cated in 1838 (L. Cook 1981, 86-87; Jessee 1992, 536; Backman 1983, 17). Per¬
haps this is the Joseph Coe who is listed as being in his forties in the 1830 Mac-
edon, Wayne County, New York, census (1830:99).

323

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

tion [D&C 38] given at the conference on the 2nd of January. And in a few
weeks, Elder Samuel H. Smith and myself started on foot for Kirtland, Ohio,
a distance of several hundred miles, to which place Joseph, the Prophet, had
just previously moved. ...

324

ORSON PRATT ACCOUNT, 1859

[Orson Pratt], “A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Taberna¬
cle, Great Salt Lake City, January 2, 1859. Reported by Gfeorge]. D. Watt,”
Journal of Discourses of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 26 vols.
(Liverpool: Albert Carrington [and others], 1853-1886), 7:29-31.

EDITORIAL NOTE

On Orson Pratt (1811-81), see introduction to I.A.16, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1839.

... We are told, in the beginning of the Book of Mormon, that three
men—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, saw the plates,
or the original from which this book was translated by Joseph Smith, jun. 1 ...
They had learned, by reading the manuscript from which this book was
printed, that the Lord, when he should bring this book to light in the latter
days, would bear testimony of it in a miraculous and wonderful manner to
three witnesses, besides the translator [2 Ne. 27: 12]. These three men, after
having learned this fact, met together, and went and saw Mr. Smith, and in¬
quired of him whether it would be their privilege to behold these plates and
know from heaven that this book was true. Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord
concerning the matter; and the Lord gave them a promise that, if they would
sufficiently humble themselves, they should have this privilege [D&C 17].

They, in no connection with Mr. Smith, who made the fourth individ¬
ual, went out into the open field, near a grove of timber, a little distance from
the house of [Peter] Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, New York. They
bowed down before the Lord in broad daylight—not in the night; so there
could be no deception: they humbled themselves before him, called upon his
holy name with all their hearts; and while they were thus engaged in calling
upon the name of the Lord, they saw in the heavens above a glorious light,
and a personage descending. This personage came down and stood before
them: he laid his hands upon the head of David Whitmer as one of the three
witnesses, and said, “Blessed be the Lord and they that keep his command¬
ments 2 ;” and then he took the plates and turned them over, leaf after leaf, ex-

1. See VI.G. 1, TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES, JUN 1829.

2. This is the only known source that mentions the angel laying hands on

325

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

cepting a certain portion of the leaves that were sealed up, which Mr. [p. 29]
Smith was not permitted to translate; but that portion he had translated was
turned over, leaf after leaf, and presented before their eyes, and they saw the
engravings upon the plates.

This angel, clothed in brightness and glory, stood before them with the
plates in his hands, showing them the engravings upon them. They also heard
the voice of the Lord out of the heavens, commanding them to bear record of
the things they saw and heard to all nations, kindred, tongues, and people. ...

... Are they the only witnesses? No: there are eight other men, whose
names and testimony I have read before this congregation, 3 —persons with
whom I am individually acquainted as well as with the translator and the
three witnesses I have already named. I have been at the house where this
Church was organized. I have seen the place where the angel descended and
showed them the plates.

Eight other witnesses testify that Joseph Smith showed them the plates,
and that they saw the engravings [p. 30] upon them, and that they had the ap¬
pearance of ancient work and curious workmanship. They describe these
plates as being about the thickness of common tin, about eight inches in
length, and from six to seven in breadth. Upon each side of the leaves of these
plates there were fine engravings, which were stained with a black, hard
stain, so as to make the letters more legible and easier to be read. 4 Through
the back of the plates were three rings, which held them together, and
through which a rod might easily be passed, serving as a greater convenience
for carrying them; the construction and form of the plates being similar to the
gold, brass, and lead plates of the ancient Jews in Palestine. 3 ...

David Whitmer and blessing him. Whitmer’s own descriptions of the event are
consistently non-physical and subjective (see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection”). Joseph Smith’s account only mentions the angel addressing
Whitmer (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 25). See also VI.A.5,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 22-
23 DEC 1877, where Whitmer states that these words were actually spoken to
him in a vision he had prior to seeing the plates with the other witnesses.

3. See III.L.13, TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSES, JUN 1829.

4. This is the only source which mentions that the engraved characters
were stained.

5. Johann Jahn wrote in 1823 that “those [ancient] books, which were
inscribed on tablets of wood, lead, brass, or ivory, were connected together by
rings at the back, through which a rod was passed to carry them by” ijahn’s Bibli¬
cal Archaeology, trans. Thomas C. Upham [Andover, MA: Flagg and Gould,
1823], 95-96). Cf. The Evening and the Morning Star 1 (January 1833), in which
W. W. Phelps quotes from Jahn’s book (see also Vogel 1986, 80, n. 47).

326

10 .

William e. mclellin to Joseph Smith III,
July & September 1872

William E. McLellin to Joseph Smith III, July and September 1872, Miscel¬
laneous Letters and Papers, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Inde¬
pendence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

William E. McLellin 1 apparently began writing his letter to Joseph
Smith III 2 in July 1872 and completed it on 8 September. Toward the end of
his life, McLellin became the friend and associate of David Whitmer, who
was most likely the source for much of McLellin’s information about
Fayette, New York.

Independence, Jackson Co. Mo. July 1872.

To President Joseph Smith,

... When Joseph delivered the 116 pages of the translation to Martin
Harris, 3 his plates, his Interpreters, and his gift were taken from him for some
two months. 4 The Plates and gift of translation was restored to him, but not
the Interpreters. He translated the entire book of Mormon by the use of a lit¬
tle stone he had in his possession before he obtained the plates. His deliver¬
ance of those pages was a great blunder! I had a long talk with O[liver].
Cowdery 5 in Wisconsin in 1847. 6 I asked him this question, “To what did

1. On William E. McLellin (1806-83), see introduction to III.K.10,
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO SAMUEL MCLELLIN, 4 AUG 1832.

2. Onjoseph Smith III (1832-1914), see introduction to I.F.3, EMMA
SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SMITH III, FEB 1879.

3. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

4. While I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 10, says the plates
were taken back in July 1828 for “a few days,” McLellin is supported by
VI.A.30, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH J. M. HUBBLE, NOV
1886, 5, which has three months, and I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS:89, 94, which says they were returned in September 1828.

5. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

6. Oliver Cowdery lived briefly in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, where he unsuc¬
cessfully ran for the state legislature in 1848 (Cook 1981, 14).

327

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

you ordain Jfoseph]. Smith on the 6th of April 1830.” He said, “I ordained
him Prophet, Seer &c. just as the revelation said to me” [cf. D&C 21:1,
10-11]. When he finished the translation of the Book [of Mormon,] thereaf¬
ter he did not see—that is he did not use his stone. So say all those who were
intimate with him at the time. In Octfober]. 1831 I wrote a revelation as he
delivered it [D&C 66]. And I know he used no stone to see then. I set by
[him] hours and heard him (what you call) translate the Bible. I know that he
used no stone then. ... I have seen the stone by which he translated often. But
I ask was he a Seer on the day the church was organized? Did he have the in¬
terpreters. I say no! distinctly no!! No man can be a Seer without the means
[cf. Mos. 8:13; 28:16]. He did not possess the means hence was not, nor
could not be [a] Seer. 7 ...

... But again, Joseph had a revelation for Oliver and friends to go to
Canada to get a copy-right secured in that Dominion to the Book of Mor¬
mon. It proved so false that he never would have it recorded, printed or pub¬
lished. I have seen and read a copy of it, so that I know it existed. So do all
those connected with him at the time. 8 ... [p. 1]

7. David Whitmer expressed a similar view in VI.A.33, DAVID WHIT-
MER, ADDRESS, 1887, 33-34, 35.

8. On 19 February 1877, McLellin wrote tojohn L. Traughber about the
“Canadian Revelation”: “When the Book [of Mormon] was translated, and at
the printer’s with the copy-right secured, Joseph delivered a long revelation for
O. Cowdery and others to go to Kingston in Canada, and get a copy-right se¬
cured in that dominion, to the book, in order to sell it and make money out of its
sale. They went, but did not succeed; and the revelation proved so false that Jo¬
seph never would have it printed or put with his other revelations either” (Wil¬
liam E. McLellin to John L. Traughber, 19 February 1877, J. L. Traughber Col¬
lection, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah).
On another occasion, McLellin wrote to Traughber: “J[oseph]. Smith’s revela¬
tion for Cowdery to go to Canada was never printed. M[artin]. Harris had the
copy that I read, in manuscript” (William E. McLellin tojohn L. Traughber, 7
May 1877, J. L. Traughber Collection, Marriott Library). McLellin also wrote in
his notebook: “Sometime in 1829 he [Smith] professed to receive a revelation
from the Lord directing Oliver and others to go to Kingston in Canada in order
to obtain a copy-right in that dominion, for the Book of Mormon. They went
but failed, and returned without it. The revelation proved so perfectly false that
it was never put with his other revelations, or ever printed either. ... Joseph
wanted to sell the book in the Cannadian dominion in order to raise money. ...
But I have seen and read a copy of it my individual self’ (William E. McLellin,
Notebook, 21, J. L. Traughber Collection, Marriott Library). For additional
sources on the “Canadian Revelation,” see VI.A.29, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD, 10 OCT 1886; VI.A.33,

328

WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH III, 1872

... But as to the story of John, the Baptist ordaining Joseph and Oliver
on the day they were baptized: I never heard of it in the church for years,
altho I carefully noticed things that were said. And today I do not believe the
story. 9 ... [p. 3]

... Now all L.D.Sism claims that Joseph Smith translated the Book with
Urim and Thummim, when he did not even have or retain the Nephite or
Jaredite Interpreters, but translated the entire Book of Mformon]. by means
of a small stone . I have certificates to that effect from Eflizabeth]. A[nnj.
Cowdery (Oliver’s widow,) Martin Harris, and Emma Bidamon. 10 And I
have the testimony of John and David Whitmer. 11 The Urim was never on
this Continent. ... The Urim was used alone for the purpose of inquiring of
God. The Interpreters were used alone for the purpose of interpreting lan¬
guages. They were not used interchangeably. Now by this we see how all
L.D.Saints have been deceived, and believed erroneously in this item.

... But in the spring of 1830 the revelation relative to the Canada mis¬
sion was certainly untrue. Now if he delivered a word by pretended revela-

DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS ' 1887, 30-31; VI.C.2, HIRAM PAGE TO
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN, 2 FEB 1848; and VI.F.12, J. L. TRAUGHBER
TO [JAMES T. COBB?], CIRCA 1881.

9. Both William E. McLellin and David Whitmer reported that they
were never told about the angelic priesthood ordinations until years after their
conversions. McLellin joined the church in 1831. Elsewhere McLellin repeated:
“I never heard of John the Baptist ordaining Joseph and Oliver. I heard not of
James, Peter, andjohn doing so” (William E. McLellin to John L. Traughber, 25
August 1877, Salt Lake Tribune, 4 December 1985). Although McLellin heard
Smith tell the story of the rise of the church “probably more than twenty times”
in the early days of Mormonism, he said, “I never heard of... John, or Peter,
James andjohn” (True L[atter]. D[ay]. Saints' Herald 17 [15 September 1870]:
556). In a notebook McLellin wrote: “In 1831 I heard Joseph tell his experience
< som e tw e nty tim e s, probably, many times> about angels visits, and about find¬
ing the plates, and their contents coming to light but I never heard one word of
John the baptist, or of Peter, James, andjohn’s visit and ordination. <Till> It was
told some year<s> art we afterward <in Ohio>” (William E. McLellin, Note¬
book, 10, J. L. Traughber Collection, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of
Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah). See also VI.A.24, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH ZENAS H. GURLEY, 14 JAN 1885; Vogel 1988, 104-6.

10. See VI.C.3, ELIZABETH ANN WHITMER COWDERY AFFI¬
DAVIT, 15 FEB 1870. The affidavits of Martin Harris and Emma Smith
Bidamon taken by McLellin have not been located.

11. If McLellin refers to statements he himself recorded, these are now
missing.

329

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

tion which was positively false, then I ask you how we can depend upon any
of his future predictions. ...

I am most respectfully yours. I am as ever,
W. E. McLellin M.D. ... 12 [p. 4]

12. Postscript deleted.

330

11 .

History of Seneca County (ny), 1876

History of Seneca Co., New York (Philadelphia: Everts, Ensign & Everts, 1876),
34, 129.

About the year 1820, Seneca Falls and Fayette were visited by an
odd-looking boy, clad in tow frock and trowsers, and barefooted. He hailed
from Palmyra, Wayne County, and made a living by seeking hidden springs.
This boy was Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. ... [p.34] ...

Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, was at one time a resident of this
town [Fayette]. Hon. Dfaniel]. S. Kendig, 1 who furnished the writer this in¬
formation, remembers him very well. He [Smith] worked as a day-laborer
for old Colonel Jacob Chamberlain, 2 and occasionally for others, when not
engaged with his mineral rods digging for gold in various places. He was in¬
variably disappointed, though oftentimes striking with his crowbar an iron
chest, supposed to contain the desired gold, when by some mysterious
agency it would vanish to some other place. 3 On one occasion he happened
to strike the “Golden Bible,” as he averred, near Palmyra, Wayne County.
This Bible he brought to the house of an honest old Dutch farmer, named
[Peter] Whitmer, 4 living in Fayette, about three miles south of Waterloo,

1. Daniel S. Kendig (1803-?) settled in Waterloo with his parents in
1813. After working as a clerk for eight years in the store of Hoyt & Hunt,
Kendig bought out Hunt’s stock and, joined by Elijah Quimby, ran the store un¬
til 1831. Afterwards Kendig ran several businesses in Waterloo and Seneca Falls
(the 1860 census refers to him as a “Warehouse Proprietor”) until he retired in
1872. The 1876 History of Seneca County states: “He [Kendig] is now residing in
Waterloo, on the same lot purchased by him in 1825” ( History of Seneca Co., 95;
U.S. Census, Waterloo, Seneca County, New York, 1860:288).

2. Jacob Chamberlain is listed as being in his fifties at the time of the 1840
census of Seneca Falls, Seneca County (1840:223). He should not be confused
with the younger Jacob P. Chamberlain mentioned in the History of Seneca Co.,
120A.

3. On Joseph Smith’s possible early contact with Fayette, see VI.E.2,
LEE YOST TO DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., 18 MAY 1897; and VI.E.4,
HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN REMINISCENCE, 1903. See also Qumn
1998, 51-52.

4. On Peter Whitmer, Sr. (1773-1854), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 59.

331

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

and there translated it, and by the aid of one [Oliver] Cowdry, 5 wrote the
Mormon Bible, or a portion of it, which was afterwards printed. This was
about the year 1829 or 1830. In 1831 he left Fayette, with numerous con¬
verts, among whom were the whole Whitmer family and William Jolly. 6
With them also went a family from Junius [Seneca County, New York],
named Bennett, 7 and many others. They first stopped at Kirtland, Ohio, and
subsequently located at Nauvoo, Illinois. The manner of translating the
“Golden Bible” was a novel one. “J oe ” Smith would look into a hat and
read, and Cowdry would write down as the mysterious characters on the
plates were revealed to his understanding. 8 The first baptism in the Mormon
faith was made in this town, by immersion in a small brook, called Thomas
Creek. 9

5. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

6. On William Jolly (1777-1863), see LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 102.

7. This family remains unidentified.

8. Cf. VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 12.

9. See also VI.E.3, DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL
SKETCH, 1900, 48.

332

12 .

J. L. TRAUGHBER TO
[JAMES T. COBB?], CIRCA 1881

John L. Traughber to [James T. Cobb?], circa 1881, in [Wilhelm Ritter von
Wymetal], Joseph Smith, the Prophet, His Family and His Friends (Salt Lake
City: Tribune and Publishing Co., 1886), 311.

EDITORIAL NOTE

German correspondent Wilhelm Ritter von Wymetal (a.k.a. William
Wyl) introduced the following excerpt “from a letter from Mr. Traughber.”
From his home in Tyler, Texas, John L. Traughber (1854-1908), a friend of
David Whitmer, wrote to various people in search of information about
Mormonism. Wymetal gives neither the date nor the name of the person to
whom Traughber addressed his letter, but it is probable that the recipient was
James T. Cobb, a Salt Lake City newspaper man who also collected informa¬
tion on Mormon origins. Wymetal had access to Cobb’s unpublished corre¬
spondence and elsewhere calls him “my learned friend” (p. 75). In a letter to
Theodore A. Schroeder, Traughber confirmed that he and Cobb had corre¬
sponded: “Mr. Jas. T. Cobb, is my friend, with whom, in the early [18]80s, I
had a rather voluminous correspondence” (John L. Traughber to T. A.
Schroeder, 24 June 1901, T. A. Schroeder Collection, New York Public Li¬
brary, New York, New York). In another letter, Traughber mentioned that
in one instance Cobb wrote him in 1881 (see John L. Traughber to T. A.
Schroeder, 21 August 1901, T. A. Schroeder Collection).

Poor old Martin [Harris] 1 intended to pay [for the printing of the Book
of Mormon] all the time, but as he would have to sell his farm to do so, he
wanted the best price he could get, so he held on and would not sell just as
soon as Joe wanted him to. 2 Early in 1830, while matters stood thus, Joe de-

1. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

2. Although Martin Harris mortgaged his farm on 25 August 1829 as se¬
curity for the printing (III.L.14, MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25 AUG
1829), he was being urged to sell his farm by a revelation of March 1830 (D&C
19:26) and was compelled to do so on 25 February 1831.

333

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

livered a whooping big revelation directing Oliver Cowdery 3 and Hiram
Page 4 to go over into Kingston, Canada, and sell a copyright under that Do¬
minion, and thus get money to pay the printer and let Martin go—be inde¬
pendent of him. The revelation promised them success, and all that sort of
stuff. Well, the boys went over on the ice and as they had not money enough
to bear their expenses, came back nearly starved, completely wearied, with
no money nor copyright sold either. 5 In 1831, when Joe and Sidney 6 were
talking about having the revelations published, David Whitmer 7 got up in
the council and said all he could against the measure. But Joe raved and de¬
clared that the Revelations should be published. David said, “Brother Jo¬
seph, are you going to publish all of them?” Joe replied, “yes, all, in the order
of their dates.” Then David asked, “are you going to publish that revelation
for Oliver and Hiram [Page] to go to Kingston and get out a copyright for the
Book of Mormon?” Joe hung his head a while, then answered, “No.” “Why,
not, Brother Joseph?” asked honest David. “BECAUSE, [”] replied Joe, “IT
WAS NOT TRUE.” 8 I have this from both Dr. W. E. McLellin 9 [apostle
and apostate] 10 and David Whitmer, both of whom have read the revela-

3. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

4. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HfRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

5. See also VI.F.14,J. L. TRAUGHBER ACCOUNT, NO DATE. For
additional sources on the Canadian Revelation, see VI.A.29, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA (NE) HERALD, 10 OCT 1886;
VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS , 1887, 30-31; VI.C.2, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN, 2 FEB 1848; and VI.F.10, WILLIAM E.
MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH, III, JUL & SEP 1872. Citing the Quebec
Gazette, the Lyons (NY) Countryman reported that 28 February 1830 was the
“coldest day” of the winter, that Kingston had received the heaviest snowfall in
several years, and that “lake (Ontario) was frozen, and crossing had become gen¬
eral” (9 March 1830, [2]).

6. On Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876), see introduction to I.A.13, SID¬
NEY RIGDON ACCOUNT, CIRCA 1836.

7. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

8. Whitmer claimed the meeting was held in the “spring of 1832” at
Hiram, Ohio (Whitmer 1887, 54). The correct date is probably 1 November
1831 when a church conference, which included both Whitmer and McLellin,
discussed the printing of the revelations (Cannon and Cook 1983, 26-27).

9. On William E. McLellin (1806-83), see introduction to III.K.10,
WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO SAMUEL MCLELLIN, 4 AUG 1832.

10. This bracketed material appears so in the original, probably added by
Wymetal.

334

J. L. TRAUGHBER TO [JAMES T. COBB?], 1881

tion. 11 Dr. McLellin was secretary of the council in which David talked to
Joe about it. Dr. McLellin also states that these revelations were twice altered
before they were ever printed even in the Book of Commandments and that
in the revelations it was frequently said, “Keep these things from the world.”
These expressions were all expunged or altered in sense.

11. McLellin told Joseph Smith III that he had read the revelation, and he
had previously written Traughber that Martin Harris possessed a manuscript
copy of it (see VI.F.10, WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH III,
JUL & SEP 1872). Whitmer also mentioned that the revelation was written (see
VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 31).

335

13.

David Lewis Reminiscence, 1908

David Lewis, Reminiscence dictated to Andrew Jenson, 10 September
1908, 1-2, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

David Lewis (1818-?), son of Lemuel Lewis, was bom at Saranac,
Clinton County, New York. He moved with his parents to Buffalo, New
York, about 1826. According to his account, he was present at the church’s
organization, which he claimed took place in Fayette, New York, 1 and was
baptized by Joseph Smith on 5 May 1830. After moving to Kirtland, Ohio,
he was sent on a mission to the east with Henry Jacobs about 1832. After his
return to Kirtland in 1834, little is known about him. He may have been the
David Lewis called on a mission to Lexington, Kentucky, in April 1843
(Backman 1983, 44; J. Smith 1948, 5:348).

His reminiscence was dictated to Andrew Jenson, 2 then assistant
church historian, and others at the Church Historian’s Office in Salt Lake
City on 10 September 1908. Lewis’s statement was apparently intended to be
included in the second volume of Jenson’s Latter-day Saint Biographical Ency¬
clopedia (1914). A note written sideways in the left-hand margin, apparently
in Jenson’s hand, points to the reason for its exclusion: “This statement was
afterwards proven to be untme / Andrew Jenson.” Lewis’s statement is a
four-page typed document with handwritten corrections on the first page.

Historian’s office September 10, 1908 <Testimony taken in the presence of
Andrew Jenson, Hiram B. Clawson, Martin L. Lindsay Jr., Stocky Anderson
and M. Minerva Jenson. >

My name is David Lewis. I am the son of Lemuel 3 and Weighty

1. Regarding Lewis’s claim that the church was organized in Fayette,
New York, see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82.

2. On Andrew Jenson (1850-1941), see VI.C.4, JOHN C. WHITMER
INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW JENSON AND EDWARD STEVEN¬
SON, 11 OCT 1888, n. 1.

3. Perhaps the same Lemuel Lewis, between twenty-six and forty-five
years of age, listed in the 1820 census of Batavia, Genesee County, New York
(1820:24).

336

DAVID LEWIS REMINISCENCE, 1908

<Lewis> Selecta (Stanton) Lewis, <and> I was born at Saranac, Clinton
county, New York. May 5, 1818 . < 1831 > <(1818 no[t] when)>

The first time I ever saw the Prophet Joseph he was speak=ing con¬
cerning his mission; that was two years before the orgini=zation of the
Church. “He said I cam e to die for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latt e r day
S ai n t s 1 ’. He lived <at that town in Fayette N.Y.> at the place where the
Church was organized. I never lived in Pennsylvania, but passed through
there while on my mission with Bro. <Henry C.> Jacobs. 4 I lived <with my
parents> 4 miles from where the Church was organized. <When I> I was 8
years old when <my> father <had> left Clinton county <and located in
western New York>. He went to the city of Buffalo to within 4 miles of
wh e re th e church was organiz e d. - <1 was at the meeting where the Church
was organized, April 6, 1830.> When I went to meeting to be baptized
<about a month after the Church was organized I remember> I had two
miles to go down the road and two miles to go <fallow [follow] a low trail
through low lands.>

Th e nature o f- th e- country for travel - was partly trail e d and th e trail
turn e d off

My recollection is that I was baptized in a small stream. The Prophet
baptized me. I don’t remember where the town of Colesville was, nor
Waterloo. 5 The size of the house where the church was organized was, I
should judge, about 14 by 16 [feet]. It had no floor except dirt. The village
was a very small one, just a little place; I think it was on level ground. <”>Do
you remember hearing of Fayette?<”> <was propounded by one of the
brethren> Yes<,> sir, thats the place I was trying to think of, thats where the
Church was first organized. The question was here asked<,> “David are you
tired?” 6 He replied, “No<,> I never getting <get> tired of talking about the
Church ofjesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<,”> in my hfe ”. It seems to me
that at the organization of the church Joseph first laid his hands upon Oliver
Cowdery 7 and ordained him, and then Oliver ordained Joseph. How I came
to be present at the organization of the church was, I had spoken to Joseph,

4. Perhaps the Henry C. Jacobs called on a mission to western New York
in April 1843 Q. Smith 1948, 5:348).

5. Lewis was evidently asked by someone present if he knew where the
towns of Colesville and Waterloo were, perhaps in an effort to help him remem¬
ber the location of his baptism.

6. It should be noted that Lewis was seventy-seven years old, if bom in
1831, and ninety years old if born in 1818 (see first paragraph of his statement).

7. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

337

MISCELLANEOUS NON-RESIDENT SOURCES

about a week before that about being baptized. Joseph told me to ask my fa¬
ther and mother and if possible get their consent. I went home and asked my
mother, if she was willing that I join the Church. She answered, “What
Church,” I said, “Joseph’s church.” She said, “Yes<,> David<,> you can do
so<,> if you please, but David the whole world is against them, including all
the good ministers.” I said, “I like the way Joseph speaks, he preaches bap¬
tism for the remission of sins, the laying [p. 1] on of hands for the reception of
the Holy Ghost, etc”. I just went up there to see Joseph: I used to often go
over to see Joseph I cannot tell what Joseph was doing at the time of the orga¬
nization of the church, excepting that he was engaged in general church
work and translating the book of Mormon. 8 He always wore a white shirt
with a ruffle on the breast about 2 inches wide. <Just> Before entering the
house in which the church was organized I heardjoseph say “Come let us or¬
ganize the church. [”] He laid his hands upon the head of everybody present
and confirmed them members of the church. There were present at the
meeting besides myself Joseph and Hyrum Smith [,] Oliver Cowdery, David
Whitmer, Peter Whitmer jun., and Samuel H. Smith. 9 The Sacrament was
administered upon that occasion for the first time. I attended meeting regu¬
larly every Sunday at that place until we moved to Kirtland. I was baptized on
my 12th birthday which was May 5, 1830 just 29 days after the organization
of the church. 10 Before leaving home to go to the meeting call e d for the or ¬
ganization of the church <for the purpose of being baptized>[,] I promised
my mother that I would come right home as soon as the meeting let out
<ceremony was performed>. After the meeting <ceremony> there was
quite a severe thunder storm, and Joseph asked me to remain <under shel-
ter> until the storm had passed. I told him of the promise I had made to my
mother. Joseph said you better stay till the rain is over[.] I said [“]I have to go
Joseph and I must go to keep my promise to my mother.” Joseph then
shooke hands with me and asked the Lord to bless me, and he promised me
that the Lord would be with me, and would take me safely home to my
mother. On the way home I ran up against a big elm tree I was frigh=tened
and thought I was lost. I cried in my freight [fright], but soon I thought of the
Prophet’s words, that the Lord would guide me home in safety to my
mother. I thereupon knelt down and asked the Lord to take me safely to my
home and to be a lamp to my feet and a guide to my pathway. Suddenly a

8. By 6 April 1830, the Book of Mormon had already been translated and
published.

9. Regarding those present at the organization, see introduction to
IV.A.4, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., STATEMENT, 11 AUG 1862.

10. Joseph Smith’s location on 5 May 1830 is uncertain.

338

DAVID LEWIS REMINISCENCE, 1908

light appeared which resembled the light of a coaloil lamp. I started for home
and the light went ahead of me directly on the path where I walked. This
light kept moving before me until I reached my home. My mother who was
looking out for me saw it also and it lit up her window with its rays. It went
around the back door of the house and stop[p]ed there. My mother opened
the door and just as soon as the door was opened the light went out. I after¬
wards told Joseph about the light guiding me home. He said “David I knew
that you would get lost in the woods and that the Lord would guide you
home. When we left Fayette we went with the body of the church to
Kirtland. ...

339

14.

J. L. traughber account, no date

John L. Traughber, Notes, “False Prophecies,” 1-2, undated, J. L. Traugh¬
ber Collection, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

See also VI.F.12, J. L. TRAUGHBER TO [JAMES T. COBB?],
CIRCA 1881.

Revelation on the Copyright.

Dr. William E. McLellan, who was one of the original Mormon
“Twelve,” has stated to me time and again that he saw and read a long revela¬
tion which Joseph Smith delivered to Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page to go
to Kingston, Canada and get out a copyright for the Book of Mormon under
that dominion, and sell it for the purpose of paying E. B. Grandin of Palmyra,
New York, for printing the first edition of the Book of Mormon. Dr.
McLellan stated emphatically that the revelation promised complete success
to Cowdery and Page in their mission to Canada. In September, 1879, I
closely questioned David Whitmer as to the facts concerning the revelation
on the copyright. He stated that it was delivered in January, 1830, and that
Cowdery and Page crossed the lake on the ice and went to Kingston, and did
just as the revelation required them to do; but they completely failed in their
endeavor to get a copyright. David Whitmer also stated that Cowdery and
Page had little or no money with them, and came back to New York almost
starved. Dr. McLellan stated that this revelation was so palpably false that Jo¬
seph Smith would never have it printed. This was confirmed by David
Whitmer, who said that when the council was called, November 1st, 1831,
to deliberate on the printing of the revelations, he for one opposed printing
them, as it had been taught to them before, that revelations to individuals
were private property, and that revelations to the church were church prop¬
erty and should be kept from the world; but Rigdon got up and said that the
revelations must be printed, and the [-] 1 was just famishing for them and must
have them; to all of which Smith [-] David Whitmer said he arose and asked
Smith if he would have all the [revelations printed. Smith said, “Yes, all of

1. The brackets here and elsewhere are due to a lacuna in the manuscript.

340

J. L. TRAUGHBER ACCOUNT, NO DATE

them.” “Will you have that one you [ga]ve to Oliver and Hiram to go to
Kingston, and get a copyright printed, too?” asked David. “No,” answered
Smith. “Why will you not have that printed, brother Joseph?” inquired Da¬
vid. Smith hung his head, and with reluctance answered, “Because it was
false.”

... I can give the names of several persons, who are living, that were
present, and heard David Whitmer make the statements I have given. I have
no doubt they will all remember what he said, and I have as little doubt but
they will confirm what I have written. The time to which I refer was Sep¬
tember 2, 1879. The place was the office of Whitmer’s livery stable, Rich¬
mond, Mo. The persons present were David Whitmer, Sr., David Whitmer,
Jr., George W. L. Schweich, John C. Whitmer and W. W. Warriner of
Richmond, J. J. Cranmer of Hannibal, Mo., and myself ...

Dr. McLellan states that the written copy of the revelation on the copy¬
right, that he read, was in the possession of Martin Harris. ...

341

Testimony of Three Witnesses,
June 1829

The Book of Mormon, Printer’s Manuscript, 463, 464, Restoration Scrip¬
tures, Community of Christ Library-Archives, Independence, Missouri.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon is the earliest known
copy of the Testimony of Three Witnesses, the original document appar¬
ently not having survived. The copy, including the names of the witnesses, is
in the handwriting of Oliver Cowdery, apparently, although the original tes¬
timony was signed by each witness. In an 1878 interview, David Whitmer
was asked by Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith if all the witnesses signed the
testimonies themselves, to which Whitmer replied, “each signed his own
name” (see VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON
PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; see also Joseph F. Smith
to Samuel Russell, 19 March 1901, Russell Collection, LDS Church Ar¬
chives, Salt Lake City, Utah, cited in Cook 1991, 258-59). The language of
the document draws from the title page of the Book of Mormon as well as
from the revelations that preceded it (D&C 5, 14, 17).

When Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris accompa¬
nied Joseph Smith into the woods near the Peter Whitmer, Sr., farm in
Fayette, New York, in June 1829, it was in fulfillment of a promise given
them by revelation (D&C 17) that they would see the golden plates. This
revelation stipulated that “it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of
them” (17:2). The four men made a concerted but unsuccessful effort to ex¬
ercise enough faith to see the plates. Harris then withdrew from the group,
believing that he was the cause of their failure. In his absence, as the three re¬
maining men later testified, an angel appeared and showed them the golden
record. After this vision closed, Smith joined Harris, who was praying some
distance away, and together they experienced the same vision (I.A. 15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 24-25).

These three men thereby became special witnesses not only to the
Book of Mormon but also to Joseph Smith’s revelatory claims. Lucy Smith
recalled her son’s relief when the four returned to the Whitmer residence:
“Father!—Mother!—said he you do not know how happy I am[.] The Lord
has caused the plates to be shown to 3 more besides me who have also seen an

345

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

angel and will have to testify to the truth of what I have said for they know for
themselves that I do not go about to deceive the people and I do feel as
though I was relieved of a dreadful burden which was almost too much for
me to endure but they will now have to bear a part and it does rejoice my soul
that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world” (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:101).

Lucy also described the effect of the experience on the other men:
“Martin Harris then came in he seemed almost overcome with excess of
joy[.] He then testified to what he had seen and heard as did also the others
Oliver and David ... their testimony was the same <in substance as that>
contained in the book of Mormon” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, MS:101).

Prior to their excommunications in 1838, the three witnesses often re¬
peated their testimonies in public. Ezra Booth, for instance, reported in 1831
that the three men “frequently testify, in the presence of large congrega¬
tions” (VI.F.3, EZRA BOOTH ACCOUNT, 1831, 184). In a late reminis¬
cence, Edward Stevenson related an instance that occurred in 1834 in Pon¬
tiac, Michigan, in which the three men each bore testimony and described
the vision:

Oliver, David, and Martin each related at various meetings the vision as
they beheld it, each time being deeply inspired, and they spoke as no man
could speak only as they who had stood in the presence of an heavenly
messenger. They said that they were in the presence of an angel who talked
with them ... and [who] also showed them the plates containing the char¬
acters as engraved upon them, stating that the translation of them as found
in the Book of Mormon was correct, and that the translation was given by
the power of God, and not by the wisdom of man. He [the angel] also
shewed them the Urim and Thummim, which was used by the ancient
prophets for the purpose of translating, and was a gift of God to His chosen
people. They further said that the voice of the Lord commanded them, as
witnesses, to be faithful to the trust reposed in them, and that their testi¬
mony should be had in remembrance and should go forth unto the con¬
vincing of the honest in heart in all nations, and no power should stop the
progress of the work of God (Millennial Star 48 [31 May 1886]: 341-42).

The published testimony of the three witnesses is deceptively simple.
For instance, the collective statement declares that “an angel of God came
down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld
and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon” but fails to mention that Har¬
ris’s vision was separate from that ofWhitmer and Cowdery. Further, despite
the apparent claim in the testimony that the plates were seen with “our eyes,”

346

TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES, 1829

Harris and Whitmer repeatedly admitted the internal, subjective nature of
their visionary experiences. Therefore, the elusive testimony of the three
witnesses should be read with caution in the context of the various inter¬
views with and statements by the individual witnesses.

The testimony of three witnesses

Be it known unto e very <all> nationsf,] kindredsf,] tongues Sc people
unto whom this work shall come that we through the grace of God the Fa¬
ther Sc our Lord Jesus Christ have seen the plates which contain this record
which is a record of the people ofNephi Sc also of the Lamanites his brethren
Sc also of the people of Jared which came from the tower of which hath been
spoken Sc we also know that they have been translated by the gift Sc power of
God for his voice hath declared it unto us wherefore we know of a surety that
the work is true Sc we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are
upon the plates Sc they have been shewn unto us by the power of God Sc not
of man Sc we declare with words of soberness that an angel of God came
down from Heaven Sc he brought Sc laid before our eyes that we beheld Sc
saw the plates Sc the engravings thereon Sc we know that it is by the grace of
God the Father Sc our Lord Jesus Christ that we beheld Sc bear record that
these things are true Sc it is marvellous in our eyes nevertheless the voice of
the Lord com^manded us that we should bear record of it Wherefore to be
obediant unto the com=mandments of God we bear testimony of these
things Sc we know that if we are fa=ithful in Christ we shall rid our garments
of the blood of all men Sc be found spotless before the Judgement seat of
Christ Sc shall dwell with him Eternally in the Heavens Sc the honor be to the
Father Sc to the Son Sc to the Holy Ghost which is one God. Amen.

Oliver Cowdery
David Whitmer
Martin Harris

347

2 .

Far West Record,

9 June 1830, 26 September 1830
& 2 January 1831

“The Conference Minutes, and Record Book, of Christ’s Church of Latter
Day Saints Belonging to the High Council of said Church, or their successors
in office, of Caldwell County Missouri; Far West: April 6, 1838,” 1-2, LDS
Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

The early church was instructed by revelation: “Behold, there shall be a
record kept among you” (D&C 21:1). Minutes of meetings and conferences
were kept on loose sheets which were later copied into the “Far West Re¬
cord.” The ledger does not contain the original minutes in the handwriting
of the clerks whose names appear on the document, but rather, copies of the
minutes as reentered by Ebenezer Robinson and Hosea Stout. The first half
of the document (9 June 1830-7 December 1837) was copied by Robinson
sometime between 6 April 1838 and 1 October 1842 and the remainder (23
December 1837-15 June 1844) was copied by Stout at some point thereafter
(see Cannon and Cook 1983, 134, n. 1). It is because most of the material in
the ledger deals with the Missouri period, and because the ledger was used by
the high council at Far West for their own minutes in 1838, that it came to be
known as the “Far West Record” (see ibid., xi-xv).

[9 June 1830]

Mi<n>utes of the first Conference held in the Township of Fayette,
Seneca County, State of New York, 1 by the Elders of this Church, June 9 th
1830, according to the Church Articles and Covenants 2

Elders Present 3 :

1. See also I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 41-42.

2. D&C 20:61-62.

3. It is uncertain when these individuals, besides Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery, were ordained elders. David Whitmer claimed he was ordained to
this office in June 1829 (VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 32).

348

FAR WEST RECORD, 1830 AND 1831

Joseph Smith, <junior> 4 David Whitmer, 5

Oliver Cowdery, 6 John Whitmer, 7

Peter Whitmer, 8 Ziba Peterson 9

Ezekiel 14th read by br Joseph Smith jr. and prayer by the same[.] Arti¬
cles and Covenants 10 read by Joseph Smith jr. and recieved by unanim=ous
voice of the whole congregation, which consisted of most of the male mem¬
bers of the Church. Samuel H. Smith 11 was then ordained an Elder under the
hand of Oliver Cowdery; & Joseph Smith seignior and Hyrum Smith 12 were
ordained Priests.

The following persons were then seated respectively Sc received their
licences, 13 Viz:

Elders of this Church. Priests of this Church.

David Whitmer Martin Harris 14

John Whitmer Hyrum Smith

4. “Junior” is written in lighter ink.

5. On David Whitmer (1805-88), see “Introduction to David Whitmer
Collection.”

6. On Oliver Cowdery (1806-50), see “Introduction to Oliver Cowdery
Collection.”

7. On John Whitmer (1802-78), see “Introduction to John Whitmer
Collection.”

8. On Peter Whitmer, Jr. (1809-36), see I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 63.

9. On Richard Ziba Peterson (P-1849), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 105.

10. The reading of the “Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ,”
Doctrine and Covenants 20, became a routine practice at early church confer¬
ences (see Cannon and Cook 1983, 2, n. 5; Cook 1981, 31). Section 22 of the
Doctrine and Covenants was not originally considered part of the “Articles and
Covenants,” as Lyndon W. Cook has asserted (1981, 33).

11. On Samuel Harrison Smith (1808-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 13.

12. On Hyrum Smith (1800-44), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, n. 12.

13. Of the licenses issued at this conference, three have survived (see
VI.G.4, CHRISTIAN WHITMER TEACHER’S LICENSE, 9 JUN 1830;
VI.G.3, JOSEPH SMITH, SR., PRIEST’S LICENSE, 9 JUN 1830; and
VI.G.5, JOHN WHITMER ELDER’S LICENSE, 9 JUN 1830).

14. On Martin Harris (1783-1875), see “Introduction to Martin Harris
Collection.”

349

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

Peter Whitmer Joseph Smith sen 15

Ziba Peterson
Samuel H. Smith

Teachers of this Church

Hiram Page 16 and
Christian Whitmer. 17

Exhortation 18 by Joseph Smith jr. and Oliver Cowdery, conference ad¬
journed to the 26th September 1830, to be held in the same place. Br. Oliver
Cowdery appointed to keep the Church record and Conference minutes un¬
til the next conference. 19 Prayer by all the Brethren present and dismissed by
Br. Oliver Cowdery. The above minutes were taken at the time of this con¬
ference by Oliver Cowdery. Clerk, [p. 1]

[26 September 1830]

Minutes of the second Conference held by the Elders of this Church
according to adjournment, Sept. 26. 1830. 20

Elders

Joseph Smith jr.

Oliver Cowdery
David Whitmer
John Whitmer
Peter Whitmer

Br. Joseph Smith jr.
appointed leader of

15. On Joseph Smith, Sr. (1771-1840), see “Introduction to Joseph
Smith, Sr., Collection.”

16. On Hiram Page (1800-52), see introduction to VI.C.l, HIRAM
PAGE TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 30 MAY 1847.

17. On Christian Whitmer (1798-1835), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, n. 96.

18. Concerning the “exhortation,” Donald Q. Cannon and Lyndon W.
Cook have commented: “The word exhortation is used frequently in the Far
West Record. In the early nineteenth century, exhortation meant a discourse
designed to encourage or admonish earnestly. The word is not presently in col¬
loquial usage” (Cannon and Cook 1983, 2, n. 7). This form of sermonizing was
familiar to Joseph Smith who, as Orsamus Turner claimed, “was a very passable
exhorterin evening meetings” of the Methodists (III.J.2, ORSAMUS TURN¬
ER ACCOUNT, 1851, 214). Cf. Moroni’s final exhortation in Moro. 10.

19. Cf. D&C 21:1.

20. This three-day conference was held at the Peter Whitmer, Sr., resi¬
dence in Fayette, New York, 26-28 September 1830 (see I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 53-58).

350

FAR WEST RECORD, 1830 AND 1831

Samuel H. Smith the Conference by

Thomas B. Marsh. 21 vote. 22

Brother Joseph Smith jr. was appointed by the voice of the Conference
to receive and write Revelations & Command=ments for this Church. 23

The fifth chapter of Isaiah read by Br. Joseph Smith jr. & prayer by the
same. Articles & Covenants read by br. Oliver Cowdery and remarks by
Brother Joseph Smith jr.

No. [number] of the several members uniting to this Church since the
last Conference, thirty-five, making in whole now belonging to this Church
sixty-two. 24 Br. Newel Knight 25 ordained a priest under the hand of brother
Oliver Cowdery and prayer by the same. Prayer by all present. Exhortation
by all the Elders respectively. Singing and prayer in behalf of Br. Oliver
Cowdery & Peter Whitmer jr. who were previously appointed to go to the
Lamanites. 26

Conference adjourned to January 1. 1831. to be held at this place. 27 Br.
David Whitmer appointed to keep the Church records until the next Con¬
ference. Prayer by br. Oliver Cowdery. The foregoing minutes were taken
at the time of this Conference by Oliver Cowdery.

[2 January 183i] 28

Conference convened according to adjournment but there were no minutes
taken, save a commandment received, giving directions to the Saints, see
Book of Commandments, page 80 [D&C 38]. 29 [p. 2]

21. On Thomas B. Marsh (1799-1866), see introduction to III.K.22,
THOMAS B. MARSH AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 1857.

22. The principle of common consent had been established the previous
July (D&C 26).

23. As set forth in D&C 21 and 28.

24. From this statement, it would follow that there were twenty-seven
members as of 9 June 1830.

25. On Newel Knight (1800-47), see introduction to IV.A.2, NEWEL
KNIGHT JOURNAL, CIRCA 1846.

26. See D&C 28 and 30.

27. This conference would actually be held on 2 January 1831.

28. There are no minutes of this conference. What follows is a brief note
written on the bottom of page 2 by one of the recorders.

29. The conference was held in the Peter Whitmer, Sr., home in Fayette,
New York. During the conference, Joseph Smith received a revelation instruct¬
ing the church to move to Ohio (D&C 38; see also I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 88-90; and VLB.1, JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, 1831,
5).

351

Joseph Smith, Sr., Priest’s License,
9 JUNE 1830

Joseph Smith, Sr., Priest’s License, 9 June 1830, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Joseph Smith, Sr., was baptized by Oliver Cowdery on 6 April 1830,
but received no priesthood ordination until the first church conference on 9
June in Fayette. The record of the meeting states: “Samuel H. Smith was
then ordained an Elder under the hand of Oliver Cowdery, & Joseph Smith
seignior and Hyrum Smith were ordained Priests” (VI.G.2, FAR WEST
PTCORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2 JAN 1831, under 9 June 1830).
The priest’s duty, as outlined in the “Articles and Covenants of the Church
of Christ,” “is to preach, teach, expound, exhort and baptize, and administer
the sacrament, and visit the house of each member, and exhort them to pray
vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties. And he may also ordain
other priests, teachers, and deacons. And he is to take the lead of meetings
when there is no elder present. ... In all these duties the priest is to assist the
elder if occasion requires” (D&C 20:46-49, 52).

Also at the 9 June conference, the various priesthood holders were for
the first time issued licenses. The “Articles and Covenants” stipulated that
“the elders are to receive their licenses from other elders, by vote of the
church to which they belong, or from the conferences. Each priest, teacher,
or deacon, who is ordained by a priest, may take a certificate from him at the
time, which certificate, when presented to an elder, shall entitle him to a li¬
cense, which shall authorize him to perform the duties of his calling, or he
may receive it from a conference” (D&C 20:63-64).

Very few of the original licenses have survived. Joseph Smith, Sr.’s,
written in Oliver Cowdery’s hand, is preserved in the LDS Church Archives.
A notation on the reverse side gives a clue about its provenance: “Rec[eive]d
from cousin / Elias A. Smith / Oct. 8, 1902 / Jfoseph]. F. Smith.” Elias A.
Smith (1857-?) was the son of Elias Smith (1804-88), who was the son of
Asael Smith, Jr. (1773-1848), brother ofjoseph Smith, Sr. (see Jenson 1971,
1:719-22, 776, 4:61; Lucy Smith 1853, 41).

352

JOSEPH SMITH, JR., PRIEST’S LICENSE, 1830

A License Liberty Power & Authority

Given to Joseph Smith sen. signifying Sc proveing that he is a Priest of this
Church of Christ established Sc regularly organized in these last days, A.D.
1830 on the 6th day of April[.] All of which has been done by the will of God
the Father accor=ding to his holy calling Sc the gifts Sc power of the Holy
Ghost agreea^ble to the revelations of Jesus Christ given to Joseph Smith
Jun. the first Elder of the Church signifying that he has been baptised Sc re¬
ceived into the Church according to the Articles & Covenants of the Church
& ordained under the hand of Oliver Cowdery who is an Apostle of our Lord
an Elder of the Church

Signed by

[s] Joseph Smith Jr. first Elder
[s] Oliver Cowdery second Elder

Given to the Bearer in Conference held in Fayette Seneca County NY June
9th 1830.

353

Christian Whitmer’s Teacher’s License, 9 June 1830. Courtesy Yale Collection of
Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New
Haven, Connecticut.

Christian whitmer teacher’s license,

9 JUNE 1830

Christian Whitmer Teacher’s License, 9 June 1830, William Robertson Coe
Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Li¬
brary, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Christian Whitmer was evidently ordained to the office of teacher
prior to the conference of 9 June 1830 but did not receive his license until
that time (VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2
JAN 1831, under 9 June 1830). According to the “Articles and Covenants of
the Church of Christ”: “The teacher’s duty is to watch over the church al¬
ways, and be with and strengthen them; and see that there is no iniquity in
the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor
evil speaking; and see that the church meet together often, and also see that
all the members do their duty. And he is to take the lead of meetings in the
absence of the elder or priest—And is to be assisted always, in all his duties in
the church, by the deacons, if occasion requires. But neither teachers nor
deacons have authority to baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands;
they are, however, to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to
come unto Christ” (D&C 20:53-59).

I. Woodbridge Riley, who published a partial transcription of Chris¬
tian Whitmer’s teacher’s license, indicates that in 1902-1903 the original
document was in possession of William Evarts Benjamin of New York City
(Riley 1903, 80). Benjamin, a rare book dealer, evidently had temporary
possession of some Whitmer family papers then under the control of George
W. Schweich, grandson of David Whitmer (see Joseph F. Smith to Samuel
Russell, 19 March 1901, Russell Collection, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah; cf. Cook 1991,257). On 18 April 1903, the RLDS Church
purchased the Whitmer documents from Schweich (McKiernan and Laun-
ius 1980, 23), but the teacher’s license was apparently not among them. At
least, the RLDS (now Community of Christ) Library-Archives has no re¬
cord of having had it. A decade ago I searched for it among Benjamin’s pa¬
pers at Columbia University. Recently, researchers from Brigham Young
University and LDS Church Archives located it among previously uncata¬
logued acquisitions at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at

355

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

Yale University where curators feel certain that it was acquired sometime
between 1940-70.

A Licence Liberty Power & Authority

Given to Christian Whitmer signifying & proveing that he is a Teacher of
this Church of Christ established & regularly organized in these last days
A.D. 1830 on the 6th day of April[.] All ofwhich has been done by the will of
God the Father according to his holy calling & the gift & power of the Holy
Ghost agreeable to the revelations of Jesus Christ given to Joseph Smith Jun
the first Elder of the Church signifying that he has been baptized & received
into the Church according to the Articles & Covenants of the Church & or¬
dained under the hand of Oliver Cowdery who is an Apostle of our Lord an
Elder of the Church

Signed by

[s] Joseph Smith Jr first Elder

[s] Oliver Cowdery Second Elder

Given to the Bearer in Conference held in Fayette Seneca County NY June

9th 1830

356

JOHN WHITMER ELDER’S LICENSE,
9 JUNE 1830

John Whitmer Elder’s License, 9 June 1830, William Robertson Coe Col¬
lection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Li¬
brary, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

EDITORIAL NOTE

John Whitmer was evidently ordained to the office of elder prior to the
church conference held on 9 June 1830, at Fayette, New York, and received
his license at the conference (VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN 1830,
26 SEP 1830 Sc 2 JAN 1831, under 9 June 1830). The license is in Oliver
Cowdery’s hand. In the early days of the church, the apostleship was closely
associated with the office of elder. According to the “Articles and Covenants
of the Church of Christ”: “An apostle is an elder, and it is his calling to bap¬
tize and to ordain other elders, priests, teachers and deacons, and to adminis¬
ter the flesh and blood of Christ, according to the scriptures; and to teach, ex¬
pound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the church; and to confirm the
church by the laying on of the hands, and the giving of the Holy Ghost, and
to take the lead of all meetings. The elders are to conduct the meetings as
they are led by the Holy Ghost” (Book of Commandments 24:32-35; cf.
D&C 20:38-45).

A Licence Liberty Power Sc Authority

Given to John Whitmer signifying & proveing that he is an Apostle of J e sus
Christ an Elder of this Church of Christ established Sc regularly organized
in these last days A.D. 1830 on the 6 th day of April [.] All of which has been
done by the will of God the Father according to his holy calling Sc the gift Sc
power of the Holy Ghost agreeable to the revelations ofjesus Christ given to
Joseph Smith Jun the first Elder of the Church Signifying that he has been
baptized Sc received into the Church according to the Articles Sc Covenants
of the Church & ordained under the hand of Joseph Smith Jun who is an
Apostle of our Lord

Signed by

[s] Joseph Smith Jr first Elder
[s] Oliver Cowdery second Elder

357

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTS

Given to the Bearer in Conference held in Fayette Seneca County NY June
9th 1830

358

EDWARD PARTRIDGE ELDER’S LICENSE,
15 December 1830

Edward Partridge Elder’s License, 15 December 1830, LDS Church Ar¬
chives, Salt Lake City, Utah.

EDITORIAL NOTE

While Sidney Rigdon was baptized and ordained an elder by Oliver
Cowdery in early November 1830 in Ohio, Edward Partridge 1 deferred his
baptism and ordination until meeting Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York,
the following month. Rigdon and Partridge arrived together in Fayette on or
about 7 December 1830, and Partridge was soon baptized and ordained an
elder (see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 78-80; I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 9, 1853:170; Cook 1981, 53). The
transcription of Partridge’s elder’s license below is from the original, given to
church historians sometime after it was published by Orson F. Whitney in
the Contributor magazine (see Orson F. Whitney, “Aaronic Priesthood,”
Contributor6 [October 1884[:5). Whitney reports that the license was “[pre¬
served by the Partridge family as a relic.” As early as 1878 it was copied by
Edward Partridge, Jr., into his father’s journal (“Journal ofB[isho]p Edward
Partridge,” compiled by Edward Partridge, Jr., LDS Church Archives). Un¬
like other licenses from the 9 June 1830 conference, Partridge’s is in the hand
of Sidney Rigdon, not that of Oliver Cowdery, nor does it follow Cow-
dery’s formulaic wording. On the reverse is written “Elder’s license.”

This may certify that Edward Partridge has been received into this
church of Christ form e d which was orga=nized on the 6th of April AD 1830
and ordained as an Elder under my hand[.]

Senaca County[,] New York[.]

[s] Sidney Rigdon

Dated Fayette this 15th day of December AD 1830

1. On Edward Partridge (1793-1840), see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, note 193.

359

Appendix A:

early Church Membership
in New York

At the time of its organization on 6 April 1830, according to Joseph
Smith’s 1838 history, there were six members in the church. By the time of
the exodus from New York in the early spring of 1831, there were over a
hundred members. This appendix attempts to reconstruct the church mem¬
bership in New York during the first year of its organization.

The first fixed number that may be useful in reconstructing the mem¬
bership comes from the statement that there were six members at the time of
the church’s organization (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 37).
Actually, the history draft indicates that the compilers contemplated “about
30” (DRAFT:9), evidently confusing the 6 April 1830 organization in Man¬
chester, New York, with the 9 June conference in Fayette. Having discov¬
ered their error, they substituted “six,” apparently from the number of bap¬
tisms previously described in the history. Those first six baptisms were:

Harmony, Pennsylvania, 15 May 1829 x

1. Oliver Cowdery

2. Joseph Smith

Harmony, Pennsylvania, 25 May 1829 1 2 3 *

3. Samuel H. Smith

Fayette, New York, early June 1829 5

4. Hyrum Smith

5. David Whitmer

6. Peter Whitmer, Jr.

1. I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 17-18; III.G.6, OL¬
IVER COWDERY to W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834, 15-16.

2. I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 19.

3. Joseph Smith baptized Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer, and Oliver

Cowdery baptized Peter Whitmer, Jr., in Seneca Lake (I.A.15, JOSEPH

SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 23).

363

APPENDIX A

The next fixed number referred to in the early records is linked to the 9
June conference in Fayette. According to the minutes of the 26-28 Septem¬
ber conference, “[the] No. [number] of the several members uniting to this
Church since the last Conference, thirty-five, making in whole now belong¬
ing to this Church sixty-two” (VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN
1830, 26 SEP 1830 Sc 2 JAN 1831). It would follow that there were
twenty-seven members as of 9 June. Smith’s history names all but three of
these members, as follows:

Manchester, New York, 6 April 1830 4

7. Martin Harris 5

8. Joseph Smith, Sr.

Manchester, New York, 8 or 9 April 1830 6

9. Lucy Smith

10. Sarah (Witt) Rockwell

Fayette, New York, 11 April 1830 7

11. Hiram Page

4. Regarding the church’s organization in Manchester, New York, see
I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82.

5. Martin Harris said that he was the first person baptized after Joseph
Smith, Jr., and Oliver Cowdery (III.F.15, MARTIN HARRIS TESTIMONY,
4 SEP 1870). While not entirely correct, it nevertheless seems that he was the
first baptized on 6 April.

6. In dating the baptisms of Lucy Smith and Sarah Rockwell, I have de¬
parted from the traditional dating of 6 April 1830 for the following reasons: the
Joseph Smith history draft includes a note at the bottom of pages 9 and 10 which
reads: “Father Smith[,] Martin Harris baptized this evening 6th April, [p. 9]
Mother Smith Sc Sister [Sarah] Rockwell 2 or 3 days afterward [p. 10]” (I.A.15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 89). This seems to be supported by the
fact that Joseph Knight, who was present for the 6 April baptisms of Joseph Sr.
and Martin Harris, did not mention Lucy and Sarah (IV. A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT,
SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 7); Martin Harris recounted his
and Joseph Sr.’s baptisms without mentioning the two women (III.F.15,
MARTIN HARRIS TESTIMONY, 4 SEP 1870); and John Stafford said he
saw Lucy’s and Sarah’s baptisms but did not mention Joseph Sr. or Martin Harris
(.Shortsville Enterprise, 18 March 1904; see introduction to III.B.ll, JOHN
STAFFORD INTERVIEW, 1881).

7. Joseph Smith’s history lists six people baptized by Oliver Cowdery in
Seneca Lake on 11 April 1830 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,

364

EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK

12. Catherine (Whitmer) Page

13. Christian Whitmer

14. Anne (Schott) Whitmer

15. Jacob Whitmer

16. Elizabeth (Schott) Whitmer

Fayette, New York, 18 April 1830 s

17. Peter Whitmer, Sr.

18. Mary (Musselman) Whitmer

19. William Jolly

20. Elizabeth Jolly

21. Vincent Jolly

22. Richard B. (Ziba) Peterson

23. Elizabeth Ann Whitmer

Fayette, New York, May 1830 (last week) 9

24. Newel Knight

Three people remain to be identified to reach the twenty-seven men¬
tioned in connection with the 9 June conference. The three most likely can¬
didates are:

Fayette, New York, Early June 1829

25. John Whitmer 10

Fayette, New York, Circa April 1830

26. Solomon Chamberlain 11

39). The history draft includes a Mary Page (DRAFT: 11), but the identity of this
person remains unknown (Jessee 1989, 503).

8. Joseph Smith’s history lists seven people baptized by Oliver Cowdery
in Seneca Lake on 18 April 1830 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
39; see also VI.E.3, DIEDRICH WILLERS, JR., HISTORICAL SKETCH,
1900, 48 [minus Ziba Peterson]).

9. Newel Knight visited Joseph Smith in Fayette during the last week of
May 1830 and was baptized by David Whitmer (see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 41; IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
CIRCA 1846, 50).

10. John Whitmer’s baptism is thought to have occurred after a revelation
was received for him, D&C 15, and at the same time his brothers David and Pe¬
ter were baptized (see Cook 1981, 25).

11. Probably in April 1830 (“soon after” the church was organized) by

365

APPENDIX A

27. Hope (Haskins) Chamberlain

It is unknown how the early church kept track of its membership, so it
remains possible that others were baptized in early 1830. Indeed, some may
have joined and fallen away before the first conference, leaving no record of
their brief affiliation. A short historical sketch published in the April 1833 is¬
sue of The Evening and The Morning Star states: “Twenty more were added to
the church in Manchester and Fayette, in the month of April [1830]” (III.1.5,
WILLIAM W. PHELPS ACCOUNT, 1833). This apparently was meant to
suggest twenty baptisms besides the six performed prior to the organization
of the church. Indeed, the current reconstruction has seven baptisms before 6
April, nineteen before the end of April, and one during the last week of May.

The third fixed number comes from the minutes of the 26-28 Septem¬
ber 1830 church conference which noted a total membership of sixty-two
adherents (VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830 & 2
JAN 1831). Joseph Smith’s history names all but nine of the converts added
to the church between 9 June and 26 September 1830, as follows:

Fayette, New York, 9 June 1830 12

28. John Poorman

29. John Jolly

30. Julia Ann Jolly

31. Harriet Jolly

32. Jerusha (Barden) Smith

33. Katharine Smith 13

34. William Smith

35. Don Carlos Smith

Joseph Smith in Seneca Lake (see III J. 1, SOLOMON CHAMBERLAIN AC¬
COUNTS, 1845 & CIRCA 1858). Larry C. Porter believes it is “probable” that
Chamberlain’s wife, Hope, was baptized at the same time (Porter 1971, 260).

12. According to Joseph Smith’s history, David Whitmer baptized eleven
people in Seneca Lake at the first church conference (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 42). William Smith, one of those baptized, lists ten (I.D.3,
WILLIAM SMITH REMINISCENCE, 1883, 16 [minus Katharine Smith]),
which is probably more accurate. Whitmer likely had this event in mind when
he stated that he had baptized fourteen people in Seneca Lake a few days before 6
April 1830 (VI.A. 16, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH J. W.
CHATBURN, 1882).

13. Katharine may have believed she was baptized on 6 April (I.E.2,
KATHARINE SMITH SALISBURY TO DEAR SISTERS, 10 MAR 1886).

366

EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK

36. Orrin Porter Rockwell 14

37. Caroline Rockwell

38. Electa Rockwell

Colesville, New York, 28 June 1830 15

39. Emma (Hale) Smith

40. Hezekiah Peck

41. Martha (Long) Peck

42. Joseph Knight, Sr.

43. Polly (Peck) Knight

44. William Stringham

45. Esther (Knight) Stringham

46. Joseph Knight, Jr.

47. Aaron Culver

48. Esther (Peck) Culver

49. Levi Hall / Sally Knight 16

50. Polly Knight

51. Julia Ann Stringham

14. Joseph Smith’s history lists a “Peter Rockwell,” which is most likely a
scribal error. The draft is probably correct in naming “Porter Rockwell,” which
is also supported by William Smith (I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ON MOR-
MONISM, 1883, 16).

15. Thirteen people are listed in Joseph Smith’s history as having been
baptized by Oliver Cowdery in Colesville, New York, on 28 June (I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 43). An earlier history published in April
1833 similarly reported that “on the 28th of June, thirteen were baptized in
Colesville” (III.I.5, WILLIAM W. PHELPS ACCOUNT, 1833).

16. Missing from the list in Joseph Smith’s history is Sally Knight, wife of
Newel Knight, whom Oliver Cowdery said was baptized in Colesville on 29
June (see IV.E.3, SALLY KNIGHT OBITUARY, 1834). Although there may
have been two days of baptisms, Larry C. Porter has suggested that Cowdery’s
dating is incorrect, that Sally was baptized on 28 June with the others (Porter
1971, 201-2). Therefore, there may have been fourteen, rather than thirteen,
baptisms in Colesville on this day; but it is also possible that inclusion of Levi Hall
was an error. Little is known about him. He stayed in Colesville when the others
moved to Ohio, and he thereafter had no connection with the church (Jessee
1989, 489). He may have expressed interest in the church but never joined or
withdrew before the 26 September conference. While Smith’s history fails to list
Sally Knight, it implies that she had been baptized before she sought confirma¬
tion in early September (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 51, and n.
167).

367

APPENDIX A

Fayette, New York, Circa 1 September 1830

52. Parley P. Pratt 17

Canaan, Columbia County, New York, 19 September 1830

53. Orson Pratt 18

Nine more converts are needed to reach sixty-two as of 26 September.
Among the most probable candidates are the following two:

Fayette, New York, [September?] 1830

54. Almira Mack 19

Fayette, New York, 3 September 1830

55. Thomas Marsh 20

The remaining seven must be taken from a more uncertain pool of can¬
didates:

Fayette, New York, 3 September 1830

56. Elizabeth (Godkin) Marsh 21

17. Joseph Smith’s history implies that Parley P. Pratt was baptized before
he baptized his brother Orson on 19 September (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 77). In fact, Parley reports that he was baptized in Seneca Lake,
confirmed, and ordained an elder by Oliver Cowdery about 1 September (see
VI.F.7, PARLEY P. PRATT REMINISCENCE, 1856 [PART II]; VI.F.6,
PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1854 [PART II], 43).

18. Orson Pratt was baptized in Canaan by his brother Parley (see I.A.15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 77; VI.F.8, ORSON PRATT AC¬
COUNT, 1858).

19. Almira Mack, daughter of Stephen and Temperance Mack, visited
Lucy Smith in Manchester, New York, sometime in June. Her baptism date is
uncertain. One source lists it as September 1830 (Temple Index Bureau, Family
History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah). However, her obituary states: “Sister
Almira Covey ... having been baptized in August, 1830, by David Whitmer, and
confirmed by Joseph Smith” (Deseret News, 17 March 1886, 137). Joseph Smith
arrived in Fayette from Harmony just before the conference of26-28 September,
so an August date for Almira’s baptism is unlikely. Possibly, the confusion came
from the misdating of the conference to 1 September in Joseph Smith’s history.

20. Marsh was baptized by David Whitmer in Fayette (see III.K.22,
THOMAS B. MARSH HISTORY, 1859; Porter 1971, 263).

21. Larry C. Porter believes it is “probable” that Elizabeth (Godkin)

368

EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK

Fayette, New York, 5 September 1830
57-60. Four heads of families. 22

Colesville, New York, 6 September 1830 or Fayette, New York f 26 September
1830

61. Freeborn De Mill 23

62. Anna (Knight) De Mill 24

From this point there are no definite numbers to guide our reconstruc¬
tion of early church membership. Numbers are used to track possible total
membership.

Fayette, New York y 27-28 September 1830 ? 5

63. George Beebe

64. Isaac Beebe

65. Olive Beebe

According to the 1833 historical sketch, “in October, 1830, the num-

Marsh was baptized the same day as her husband, Thomas B. Marsh, on 3 Sep¬
tember (Porter 1971, 263).

22. On 5 September, Parley P. Pratt preached at (Philip?) Burroughs’s in
Fayette and four heads of families were baptized (PARLEY P. PRATT AUTO¬
BIOGRAPHY [PART II], CIRCA 1854, 43).

23. Freeborn De Mill, husband of Anna (Knight) De Mill, was reportedly
baptized by Hyrum Smith and confirmed by Joseph Smith on 6 September in
Colesville; however, another source dates the baptism to the 26 September con¬
ference in Fayette (Porter 1971, 205).

24. The date of Anna (Knight) De Mill’s baptism is uncertain. Some have
suggested that she was baptized on 28/29 June along with other Knight family
members (Porter 1971, 203), while others assume that she accompanied her hus¬
band, Freeborn De Mill, into the water, possibly on 6 or 26 September (Porter
1971, 205; the Family Group Record, Family History Library, Salt Lake City,
Utah, has 29 September 1830).

25 Joseph Smith’s history states that “[a] number were baptized” during
the 26-28 September 1830 conference (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 60). If Freeborn and Anna De Mill were baptized on the first day of the
conference, they may have been included in the pre-conference count, unlike
those who were baptized during the last two days of the conference. Larry C.
Porter speculates that among those unnamed were George Beebe, said to have
been baptized in September, and perhaps his parents Isaac and Olive (Porter
1971, 264-65).

369

APPENDIX A

ber of disciples had increased to between seventy and eighty” (III.E.5, WIL¬
LIAM W. PHELPS ACCOUNT, 1833). 26 In October there were baptisms
in Manchester prior to the departure of the so-called Lamanite missionaries,
as well as in Colesville and Bainbridge.

Manchester, New York, October 1830 (Possibly 10th) 27

66. Ezra Thayre

67. Northrop Sweet

68. Keziah (Pearce) (Austin) Cowdery

Manchester, New York, Possibly October 1830

69. Dolly Proper 28

Colesville, New York, 10 October 1830 19
70-71. Two unnamed persons.

Bainbridge, New York, October 1830?°

26. Joseph Smith said that by December 1830, “the little flock ... from
Colesville to Canandaigua, New York, numbered about seventy members”
(LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 81).

27. According to Ezra Thayre, he and Northrop Sweet were baptized by
Parley P. Pratt on the first Sunday after Joseph Smith arrived in Manchester, pos¬
sibly on 10 October (see III.J.6, EZRA THAYRE REMINISCENCE, 1862,
82-83). Thayre reported that Keziah (Pearce) (Austin) Cowdery (1773-1860),
Oliver’s stepmother, was baptized at the same time. In his autobiography, Parley
P. Pratt said that “several persons” were baptized (III.K.16, PARLEY P.
PRATT AUT OB IO GRJVPH Y [PART I], CIRCA 1854, 47), but in 1858 he
said “seven persons” (Parley P. Pratt, “History of Parley P. Pratt,” Deseret News,
19 May 1858, 53). If the 1858 source is not a misreading of “several,” then num¬
bers 96-99 below might be among the four unidentified persons who were bap¬
tized in Manchester in October.

28. Lorenzo Saunders said he saw Oliver Cowdery baptize Dolly Proper
in Manchester (LORENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 17 SEP 1884, n. 38;
LOFJENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 12 NOV 1884, 7). Pomeroy Tuck¬
er errs when he dates her baptism to 6 April (POMEROY TUCKER AC¬
COUNT, 1867, 59). Dolly’s husband, George, may have been baptized at this
time as well (see ibid., 38).

29. According to Newel Knight, Hyrum Smith attended a meeting at
Aaron Culver’s in Colesville on 10 October when two people were baptized
(IV.A.2, NEWEL KNIGHT JOURNAL, CIRCA 1846, 23).

30. According to Newel Knight, Hyrum Smith attended a meeting at

370

EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK

72. Ezekiel Peck

73. Electa (Buck) Peck
74-75. Two unknown persons.

Where Joseph Smith’s history states that in December the church “in
all, from Colesville to Canandai=gua, numbered about seventy members”
(I.A.15. JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 81), another source, probably
more accurately, states that “[a]t the close of the year 1830 there were about
one hundred members of the Church in the State of New York, scattered
from Colesville, Broome county, to Canandaigua, Ontario county, a dis¬
tance of about one hundred miles” (“Journal History,” 31 December 1830).
Several baptisms occurred in the fall of 1830 in Canandaigua, Colesville, and
Fayette.

Colesville, New York, 1 November 1830
76. Elizabeth Knight 31

Canandaigua, New York, November 1830
77-78. Two unnamed persons. 32

Colesville, New York, Fall 1830
79. Emily Colburn 33

Ezekiel Peck’s residence in Bainbridge, New York, at which four people were
converted and possibly baptized (IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOG¬
RAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 66-67). Ezekiel and Electa Peck were baptized in Oc¬
tober 1830, so it may have been on this occasion ( Utah Genealogical and Historical
Magazine 27 [April 1936]: 78-79; Porter 1971, 206). The baptisms may have
been performed in Afton Lake (see V.C.3, MEHETABLE DOOLITTLE
REMINISCENCE, 1877).

31. Elizabeth, daughter of Newel and Sally Knight, was baptized in Coles¬
ville by Hyrum Smith; she was the youngest person baptized up to that time (b.
22 July 1817) (see the Utah Genealogical Magazine 26 [October 1935]: 150).

32. According to Lucy Smith, Joseph Smith, Sr., baptized two individuals
after his release from prison, evidently in late November or early December
1830 (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:165; Porter 1971, 103).

33. Emily Colburn, sister of Sally Knight, was baptized in Colesville “sev¬
eral months” after her abduction in June 1830 (see Porter 1971, 201). She was
baptized sometime before the Reverend John Sherer wrote his letter of 18 No¬
vember 1830 (see IV.C.l, JOHN SHERER TO ABSALOM PETERS, 18
NOV 1830, 1).

371

APPENDIX A

Fayette, New York, Fall 1830

80. Solomon Humphrey 34

81. Thankful (Halsey) Pratt 35

Other possible baptisms that occurred in 1831 before Smith’s departure
to Ohio in late January are:

Fayette, New York, Early January 1831

82. Joseph Coe 36

83. James Covill 37

Palmyra, New York, Late January 1831 3S

84. Preserved Harris

Macedon, New York y Late January 1831 39

85. Calvin Stoddard

86. Sophronia (Smith) Stoddard

34. Solomon Humphrey of St. Lawrence County, New York, visited Jo¬
seph Smith in the fall of 1830 and was baptized (Porter 1971, 265).

35. Thankful (Halsey) Pratt, wife of Parley P. Pratt, joined the church in
Fayette after her husband had left on his mission to the west in October 1830
(Porter 1971, 263-64).

36. After the conference of 2 January 1831, Orson Pratt and Samuel Smith
labored with Joseph Coe, possibly baptizing him at that time (VI.F.8, ORSON
PRATT REMINISCENCE, 1858; Porter 1971, 98-99).

37. James Covill may have joined in January, but soon after apostatized
(Porter 1971, 266). On 5 January, Smith dictated a revelation calling for his bap¬
tism and removal to Ohio (D&C 38:10, 14). Another revelation explained that
Covill had “received the word with gladness, but straightway satan tempted
him; and the fear of persecution and the cares of the world caused him to reject
the word” (D&C 40:2).

38. According to Lucy Smith, her son Joseph preached at the home of
Preserved Harris in Palmyra in late January 1831, at which time some were bap¬
tized (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:171; Porter 1971, 97-98).
Preserved, Martin Harris’s brother, may have been among those baptized at this
time.

39. According to Lucy Smith, Joseph preached at the home of Calvin
Stoddard in Macedon, New York, in late January, at which time some were bap¬
tized (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:171). This may have been
when Calvin and Sophronia Stoddard were baptized (Porter 1971, 96).

372

EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK

Among those baptized after Smith’s departure from New York and be¬
fore the general exodus to Ohio the following spring were:

Pennsylvania, 10 February 1831

87. Emer Harris 40

Colesville, New York, Circa 20 February 1831

88. Jared Carter 41

The following are baptisms that occurred on undetermined dates
sometime in 1830-31:

Fayette-Waterloo, New York, 1830-31

89. William Scoby 42

90. Anna Burroughs 43

91. (Orin?) Chamberlain 44

92. Margaret Poorman 45

93. John Pratz 46

94. Ezra Page 47

95. Sarah (Conrad) Bunnell 48

40. Emer, Martin Harris’s brother living in Pennsylvania, was probably
baptized by Newel Knight on 10 February (Cook 1981, 155).

41. Jared Carter was baptized by Hyrum Smith in Colesville about 20
February (IV.C.3, JARED CARTER REMINISCENCE, 1832).

42. William Scoby of Fayette, who married Almira Mack, was baptized
sometime in 1830-31 (Porter 1971, 261).

43. The wife of Philip Burroughs of Fayette became a member sometime
before 24 April 1832 and may have been an early member (Porter 1971, 262-63;
Porter 1992, 154).

44. A “Brother Chamberlain” of Waterloo, New York, was visited by
Samuel Smith on 22 April 1832 and may have been an early member (Porter
1971, 262).

45. Porter has suggested that Margaret Poorman, wife ofjohn Poorman,
was baptized in Fayette about the time her husband was baptized, i.e., 9 June
1830 (Porter 1971, 261).

46. See Porter 1971, 267.

47. Porter 1971, 267-68.

48. Sarah Heller Bunnell, daughter of Joshua and Eve Conrad, lived with
Peter Whitmer, Sr., in Fayette at the time the Book of Mormon was being
translated. She was married to David E. Bunnell on 15 April 1830 (Porter 1971,
268).

373

APPENDIX A

Palmyra-Manchester, New York, 1830-31

96. Lucy Smith 49

97. John Stacy 50

98. Mrs. John Stacy

99. Sarah (Sally) Risley 51

Colesville, New York, 1830-31

100. Josiah StowelT 2

101. Nahum Knight 53

102. Thankful Knight 54

103. Reed Peck 55

104. Pheby (Crosby) Peck 56

105. Mary (Molly) Slade 57

49. Lucy Smith, Joseph’s youngest sister, would have been nine or ten in
1830-31; her baptismal date is presently unknown (Porter 1971, 96).

50. According to one source, John Stacy and wife, of Palmyra, were bap¬
tized and moved to Ohio, apparently in the spring of 1831 (see III J.41, PAL¬
MYRA ILESIDENT REMINISCENCE, NO DATE).

51. Pomeroy Tucker listed “Widow Sally Risley” as one of Joseph
Smith’s early followers in Manchester (III.J.8 POMEROY TUCKER AC¬
COUNT, 1867, 39). This is possibly the same “Mrs. Risley, of Manchester, a
cripple,” mentioned by Christopher M. Stafford whom the “Prophet Jo told ...
he could heal her and she joined the Mormons. Jo failed to heal her and she never
walked” (see III.D.3, CHRISTOPHER M. STAFFORD STATEMENT, 23
MAR 1885).

52. Josiah Stowell’s baptismal date is unknown, but it may have been at the
time four people were baptized in Bainbridge in October 1830 (see introduction
to IV.B.2, MARTHA CAMPBELL TO JOSEPH SMITH, 19 DEC 1843).

53. Nahum, the oldest son of Joseph Knight, was probably baptized be¬
fore the exodus of May 1831 (Porter 1971, 300).

54. Thankful Knight, wife of Nahum, may have been baptized before she
and her husband immigrated to Ohio with the Colesville branch in May 1831
(Porter 1971, 300).

55. Reed, son of Hezekiah and Martha (Long) Peck, may have been bap¬
tized with his parents on 28 June 1830 or soon thereafter (Porter 1971, 210).

56. Pheby (Crosby) Peck was a widow who immigrated with her children
and the Colesville branch to Ohio in May 1831 and was probably a baptized
member at that time (Porter 1971, 301).

57. Molly Slade was a widow who immigrated with her children and the
Colesville Branch to Ohio in May 1831 and was probably baptized before that
event (Porter 1971, 299, 301).

374

EARLY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IN NEW YORK

106. Benjamin Slade 58

107. Roxy Slade 59

108. Ira J. Willes 60

In the Mormon exodus from New York in the spring of 1831, Lucy
Smith headed a group of about fifty, Thomas B. Marsh led about thirty, and
Martin Harris led a group of several families. The Colesville branch emi¬
grated in a group of about sixty people (Porter 1971, 317; Porter 1990,
15-16). From this information and the present reconstruction, it can be safely
asserted that at the time of the exodus, the New York contribution to the
church exceeded a hundred members, along with their children.

58. Benjamin Slade, a son of Molly Slade listed among those who emi¬
grated with the Colesville branch in May 1831, was probably a baptized member
(Porter 1971, 299, 301).

59. Roxy Slade, who accompanied her husband Benjamin to Ohio in
1831, was probably a baptized member at that time.

60. IraJ. Willes, who was about nineteen years old when he immigrated to
Ohio with the Colesville branch in May 1831, may have been baptized before
the move.

375

Appendix B:

Chronology, 1771-1831

The following is a summary of the chronological data gleaned from the
documents in this series. Some of the dates are deduced from their relation¬
ships to other events and are somewhat tentative, in which cases I include a
brief discussion of the documentation and logic. Still, there are many chro¬
nological puzzles that remain to be worked out.

12 July 1771

Joseph Smith, Sr., is born in Topsfield (MA) to Asael and Mary (Duty)
Smith (I.H.3, SMITH FAMILY BIBLE ILECORDS, NO DATES).

8 March 1772

An infant Joseph Smith, Sr., is baptized at the Topsfield (MA) Congrega¬
tional church (Anderson 1971,91-92).

1 May 1772

The Asael Smith family moves to Windham (NH) (Anderson 1971, 92).
15 April 1774

The Asael Smith family moves to Dunbarton (NH) (Anderson 1971, 92-
94).

8 July 1775

Lucy Mack is bom in Gilsum (NH) to Solomon and Lydia (Gates) Mack
(Anderson 1971, 162).

27 May 1778

Asael Smith purchases a 100-acre farm at Derryfield, near Manchester
(NH), on the Merrimack River (Anderson 1971, 94).

21 June 1791

Asael Smith purchases a farm in Tunbridge (VT), marking the approxi¬
mate time of his arrival (Porter 1971, 11).

24 January 1796

Joseph Smith and Lucy Mack are married in Tunbridge (VT) by Seth Aus¬
tin (II.B.l, JOSEPH SMITH AND LUCY MACK MARRIAGE RE¬
CORD, 24 JAN 1796). Soon after their marriage, Joseph and Lucy move

377

APPENDIX B

onto a farm in Tunbridge, likely a section of Asael Smith’s land on Lot 18 in
the “Tunbridge Gore” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS;20;
also Porter 1971,12).

October 1796-April 1797

Lucy Smith gives birth to an unnamed child that dies (I.C.2, JOSEPH
SMITH, SR., BLESSINGS, 1834). The low-end date is calculated by
adding nine months to the date of their marriage, and the high-end date
is calculated by subtracting nine months from Alvin’s birth. Joseph Sr.’s
phrase “untimely birth” implies a premature delivery, which could re¬
vise the low-end date by several months.

6 December 1797

Joseph Sr., along with his father Asael and brother Jesse, helps found the
Tunbridge (VT) Universalist Society (II.B.2, TUNBRIDGE [VT] UN-
IVERSALIST SOCIETY, 6 DEC 1797).

11 February 1798

Alvin Smith is bom at Tunbndge (VT) (II.B.3, ALVIN SMITH BIRTH
RECORD, 11 FEB 1798).

12 November 1799

Joseph Sr. may have joined the Tunbridge (VT) Anabaptist Society (II.B.4,
TUNBRIDGE [VT] ANABAPTIST SOCIETY, 12 NOV 1799).

9 February 1800

Hyrum Smith bom at Tunbridge (II.B.5, HYRUM AND SOPHRO-
NIA SMITH BIRTH RECORD, 9 FEB 1800 & 17 MAY 1803).

February 1800-February 1801

The Smiths rent out their Tunbridge farm and move with two children
to Randolph (VT). The 1853 edition of Lucy Smith’s history is likely in¬
correct in placing the move in 1802 (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, 1853:45). Even her manuscript is less precise, stating that it occurred
“<5 or> 6 years” after her marriage, ca. 1801/2 (cf. ibid., MS:20). The
high and low dates are derived from the births of Hyrum and Sophronia
in Tunbridge, 9 February 1800 and 17 May 1803 respectively. The fact
that Hyrum’s birth was not recorded at the time—later in conjunction with
Sophronia’s birth—suggests a possible departure from Tunbridge shortly
after Hyrum’s birth. In addition, it appears that the Smiths were not enu¬
merated in the 1800 federal census, perhaps indicating a move from Tun¬
bridge in 1800 and possible continued transience during the latter part of
the year (II.B.6, TUNBRIDGE [VT] CENSUS RECORD, 1800). At

378

CHRONOLOGY. 1771-1831

Randolph, Joseph Sr. begins a merchandising business, and six months af¬
ter their arrival, Lucy becomes sick with “consumption” (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:20).

Spring 1803

The Smiths move back to their Tunbridge (VT) farm (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:24). The 1853 edition of Lucy’s history
says that the move occurred “immediately after his [Joseph Sr.’s] venture
was sent to China” (ibid., 1853:51), but the manuscript has the Smiths still
in Randolph at least several months later when the ship returns and Jo¬
seph Sr. learns that he has been swindled (ibid., MS:25). The Smiths proba¬
bly move back to Tunbridge in the spring of 1803 just before Sophronia’s
birth there (17 May 1803).

17 May 1803

Sophronia Smith is born in Tunbridge (II.B.5, HYRUM AND SO-
PHRONIA SMITH BIRTH RECORD, 9 FEB 1800 & 17 MAY 1803;
also tombstone, Zion's Advocate 59 [March 1982] :42).

May-November 1803

Jason Mack visits the Smiths at their Tunbridge (VT) farm on two occa¬
sions, six months apart (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:
Frag. 1, 1853:52). Lucy says she had three or four children at the time of
the first visit. Since her fourth child, Joseph, was born in Sharon (VT)
on 23 December 1805, Jason came after the birth of Sophronia (17 May
1803) and before the Smiths moved to Sharon about August 1804 (see
27 August 1804). The high-end date may be lowered at least three months
since Lucy says they spent a “few months” in Royalton (VT) before mov¬
ing to Sharon (ibid., 1853:56). Thus, it seems likely the visits occurred
sometime between May 1803 and about May 1804. If Lucy is correct
about a six-month separation between visits, the first one may have oc¬
curred between May and November 1803 and the second between No¬
vember 1803 and May 1804 (see below).

November 1803-May 1804

Jason Mack visits the Smiths in Tunbridge (VT) for a second time (see
above).

Circa May 1804

The Smiths move to Royalton (VT) where they remain only a “few
months” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,1853:56). Since they
move to Sharon about 27 August 1804 and spend at least three months in
Royalton, they must have moved there about May 1804.

379

APPENDIX B

27 August 1804

Joseph Sr. witnesses two land transactions in Sharon (VT) involving Solo¬
mon Mack, one of which was the land the Smiths would soon move on¬
to (II.B.8, SHARON [VT] LAND RECORDS, 27 AUG 1804). At
Sharon, Joseph Sr. cultivates his farm in the summer and teaches school
in winter. The Smiths remain “a few years'’ (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:26).

23 December 1805

Joseph Smith, Jr., is born in Sharon, Windsor County (VT) (I.H.l,
SMITH FAMILY GENEALOGY, 1834).

January 1806-March 1808

The Smiths move back to Tunbridge (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, 1853:56). They leave Sharon sometime after Joseph Jr.’s birth (23
December 1805) and before the birth of Samuel Harrison in Tunbridge
on 13 March 1808, If the Joseph Sr. teacher’s note of 15 March 1806 is
authentic, it would suggest a departure after that date (II.B.9, JOSEPH
SMITH, SR., TEACHER’S NOTE, 15 MAR 1806). Additionally, if the
Supreme Court Record of 1807 refers to Joseph Sr., then the family may
have moved after April 1807 (see 1 April 1807). Lucy mentions that the
family remained in Tunbridge “a short time,” perhaps indicating their ar¬
rival there shortly before the birth of Samuel (13 March 1808). There is
evidence that Solomon Mack took out a second mortgage on his Sharon
land on 21 March 1807, which may have precipitated the Smiths’ move
to Tunbridge (Anderson 1971,175).

3 May 1806

Joseph Sr. acts as a witness to a land transaction in Tunbridge (VT) be¬
tween Solomon Mack “of Sharon” and Daniel G. Mack (II.B.10, TUN¬
BRIDGE [VT] LAND RECORDS, 3 MAY 1806).

1 April 1807

Beniah Woodward is said to have passed a counterfeit $10 bill to a “Jo¬
seph Smith ofRoyalton,” perhaps a reference to Joseph Sr. of Sharon/
Royalton (see II.B.l 1, VERMONT SUPREME COURT RECORDS,
1807).

13 March 1808

Samuel Harrison Smith is born inTunbridge (e.g., I.H.l, SMITH FAM¬
ILY GENEALOGY, 1834).

March-December 1808

The Smiths move back to Royalton (VT), where they remain three years

380

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:56) in the “Metcalf neigh¬
borhood” (II.A.3, DANIEL WOODWARD ACCOUNT, 1870). Jo¬
seph Sr. may have engaged in “merchandising” (I.D.2, WILLIAM
SMITH NOTES, CIRCA 1875, 34), and it is said that “Joseph Qr.] at¬
tended school on Dewey Hill, and was taught his letters by Dea[con]. Jon¬
athan Kinney, the schoolmaster there” (Wells 1911,646).

Circa May 1809

Joseph Sr. is taxed in Royalton (VT) for two two-year-old cows (II.B. 13,
ROY ALTON [VT] ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1809-1811).

13 March 1810

Ephraim Smith is born in Royalton (VT), but dies eleven days later on
24 March (e.g., I.H.l, SMITH FAMILY GENEALOGY, 1834).

Circa May 1810

Joseph Sr. is taxed in Royalton (VT) for two cows (II.B. 13, ROYAL¬
TON [VT] ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1809-1811).

August 26-November 1810

The Smith family is enumerated in Royalton (VT) in the federal census;
they apparently have a young boy (between 10 and 16) living with them
at the time (II.B.14, ROYALTON [VT] CENSUS RECORD, 1810).

Circa 1811

Solomon Mack’s chapbook, A Narrative of the Life of Solomon Mack, is
published in Windsor (VT).

13 March 1811

William Smith is born in Royalton (VT) (I.H. 1, SMITH FAMILY GE¬
NEALOGY, 1834).

April 1811

Joseph Sr. has his first dream/vision in Royalton (VT). According to Lucy
Smith, it was “received the next month after William was born” (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 3, front).

Circa May 1811

Joseph Sr. is taxed in Royalton (VT) for two horses, one cow, and thir¬
teen acres of land (II.B.13, ROYALTON [VT] ASSESSMENT RE¬
CORDS, 1809-1811). William Smith says that his father was engaged
in “merchandising” in Royalton about the beginning of the War of 1812
(I.D.2, WILLIAM SMITH NOTES, CIRCA 1875, 20).

381

APPENDIX B

May 1812-May 1813

The Smiths move to Lebanon, Grafton County (NH) (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:58), after the May 1812 Lebanon as¬
sessment, which did not list Joseph Sr., and before the May 1813 assess¬
ment, when Joseph Sr. was listed for the first time (II.B. 15, LEBANON
[NH] ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1813-1814). Lucy Smith is likely
mistaken in dating this event to 1811 (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1853:58-59). The Smiths are believed to have actually lived in West Le¬
banon where they apparently remained about two years.

Early 1813

The Smiths are afflicted with typhoid fever in Lebanon (NH) (LA. 15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, Note A; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:27-33). Lucy says that the fever struck in 1813 for
one year. During this time, Joseph Jr. underwent a grueling leg opera¬
tion in which several pieces of tibia were removed without anesthetic.
Soon after, he went to live with his uncle Jesse Smith in Boston. Rich¬
ard L. Anderson has pointed out that Nathan Smith, the attending phy¬
sician, moved from Dartmouth College to Yale University in the fall of
1813 and wrote in his 1831 memoirs that he and Professor Perkins be¬
gan treating cases of “typhus” in the fall of 1812. Anderson concludes
that it is “highly probable” that Smith’s operation took place in the win¬
ter of 1812-13 (Anderson 1970, 86).

1-5 May 1813

Joseph Sr. is listed in the Lebanon (NH) assessment as having four heads
of cattle, three of which are cows (II.B.15, LEBANON [NH] ASSESS¬
MENT RECORDS, 1813-1814).

28 July 1813

Katharine Smith is bom in Lebanon (NH) (I.H.l, SMITH FAMILY GE¬
NEALOGY, 1834; I.H.3, SMITH FAMILY BIBLE RECORDS, NO
DATE; I.E.l, KATHARINE SMITH SALISBURY AFFIDAVIT, 1881).
The following sources give her birth as 1812:1.H.2, CARLOS SMITH
FAMILY RECORD, CIRCA 1840; L, Smith 1853, 41;J. Smith 1948,
4:189; and tombstone reproduced in Zion’s Advocate 59 (April 1982):
59. However, 1813 seems more likely since Lucy implies that Katharine
was born after her family’s crisis with typhoid.

28 July 1813-May 1814

Joseph Sr. has a second dream/vision, according to Lucy, “soon after” their
arrival in Lebanon (NH) (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:

382

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

58-59). Lucy mentions that Joseph Sr.’s family consisted of “a wife and
seven children,” with “two more” children on the way (i.e., Don Carlos
and Lucy), indicating that it would have occurred after Katharine’s birth
on 28 July 1813 and before May 1814 (see below).

1-11 May 1814

Joseph Sr. is listed in the Lebanon (NH) assessment records as owing a
$2.00 invoice, an 86-cent town tax, 72-cent school tax, $1.16 highway
tax, 32-cent state tax, and no “minister’s tax” (II.B.15, LEBANON [NH]
ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1813-1814). Unlike the previous years, he
apparently did not own enough property to qualify for voting, which is
consistent with Lucy’s statement that the family was very poor after their
bout with typhoid (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:33).

May 1814-March 1816

The Smiths move to Norwich (VT) onto the farm of Squire Murdock
(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:33). The date of their ar¬
rival is difficult to determine. What seems certain is that they moved from
Lebanon (NH) between the tax assessments of May 1814 and May 1815,
but exacdy when they arrived in Norwich is less clear, although it was cer¬
tainly before the birth of Don Carlos on 25 March 1816. The “warning
out” which the Smiths apparently received on 15 March 1816 from Nor¬
wich officials might narrow this time frame since the law required officials
to warn out families within one year of their arrival (see II.B.16, SMITH
FAMILY WARNING OUT OF NORWICH [VT], 27 MAR 1816).
Thus, the Smiths could have left Lebanon between March 1815 (accord¬
ing to legal requirements of the warning) and the beginning of May 1815
(when Lebanon’s assessment was taken, absent the Smiths). If one chooses
to disregard the legal requirements of the warning, the Smiths could have
left Lebanon immediately after the May 1814 assessment and arrived in
Norwich on time for the spring planting season for the first of three crop
failures in the summer of 1814, as Lucy claims. Still, Lucy may have erred
on the number of years her family lived in Norwich, or the Smiths may
have lived in a remote quarter in or near the town and later moved onto
Murdock’s property.

July/August 1815

The Smiths experience their second crop failure in Norwich (see above).

March 1816

Joseph Sr. has his third dream/vision. The 1853 edition of Lucy Smith’s
history places it in Palmyra/Manchester (NY) in 1822, but her prelimi-

383

APPENDIX B

nary draft indicates that it was in the “same month that carlos was born”
(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,1853:70, MS:Frag. 4).

15 March 1816

The Smiths are warned out of Norwich (issued 15 March, recorded 27
March) (II.B.16, SMITH FAMILY WARNING OUT OF NORWICH
[VT], 27 MAR 1816).

25 March 1816

Don Carlos Smith is born in Norwich (I.H.l, SMITH FAMILY GE¬
NEALOGY, 1834).

July/August 1816

The Smiths’ crops fail for the third season in Norwich due to an “un¬
timely frost” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:33). The
result of the volcanic explosion ofTambora on the island of Sumbawa
in the East Indies in 1815, New England experienced severe cold and
snow in the mid-summer of 1816 that destroyed most crops (see Bush¬
man 1984, 200, n. 99; Porter 1971, 29-30).

Summer 1816

Joseph Sr. leaves Norwich after the third crop failure, probably in the
late summer or fall of 1816 (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS:33). In various accounts attributed to Joseph Smith, Jr., his father
leaves Vermont when Joseph Jr. is “ten years old,” which would be in
1816 (I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 2; I.A.10, JOSEPH
SMITH TO OLIVER COWDERY, DEC 1834; LA. 19, JOSEPH SMITH
TO JOHN WENTWORTH, 1 MAR 1842,706; I.A.24, JOSEPH SMITH
TO I. DANIEL RUPP, 1843, 404). The 1839 history has “tenth year”
(1815), to which Willard Richards (probably in 1842) added “or there¬
abouts” (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,1). Pomeroy Tucker
says that the Smiths arrived in Palmyra in the “summer of 1816” (III.J.8,
POMEROY TUCKER ACCOUNT, 1867, 12).

Winter 1816-17

Lucy and the children arrive in Palmyra, Ontario (Wayne after 1823)
County (NY). Joseph Smith, Jr., remembered that “the snow was gen¬
erally deep through the country during this Journey” (I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, Note A). A note in Martha Coray’s note¬
book for Lucy Smith’s history reads: “1816 [1817] moved to ... Palmyra
injanfuary]” (“Copy of an Old Note Book,” Special Collections, Har¬
old B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah). William
Smith reportedly placed the move in 1816 or 1817 when he was five years

384

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

old (I. D.l, WILLIAM SMITH INTERVIEW WITH JAMES MUR¬
DOCK, 1841; I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ONMORMONISM, 1883,
5).

April 1817

Joseph Sr. appears on the Palmyra road list, apparently at the west end of
Main Street (III.L.l, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD LISTS, 1817-1822).

27 March 1818

Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith sign a promissory note to Jeremiah Hurlbut
for $65 “to be Paid in good Merchant Grain at the market Price by the
first January next.” 1 The crop was to be raised on a portion of Hurlbut’s
land and in partnership with him.

April 1818

Joseph Sr. appears on the Palmyra road list, apparently at the west end of
Main Street (III.L.l, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD LISTS, 1817- 1822).

May 1818

Joseph Sr. has his sixth dream/vision (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, MS: Frags. 2 & 4). A note under the heading of Frag. 4 of Lucy
Smith’s history reads: “I thought May the same year that carlos was 2 years
old [1818].”

8-22 May 1818

Joseph Sr. and sons, mostly Hyrum, work for Jeremiah Hurlbut, who
owned thirty acres of land in Palmyra at the west end of Main Street near
the Smiths’ residence and store. 2 3

10 May 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a 75-cent debt to Jeremiah Hurlbut for “two bushels of
oats.

1. Joseph Smith, Sr., and Alvin Smith, Promissory Note, 27 March 1818,
Ontario County Records Center and Archives, Canandaigua, New York. This
document and others dealing with legal actions between Joseph Sr. and Alvin
Smith and Jeremiah Hurlbut were made available for public inspection after
publication of volumes 2 and 3 of Early Mormon Documents. They were first lo¬
cated by researchers from Brigham Young University and the LDS Church Ar¬
chives in the summer of 2001.

2. Joseph Smith, Sr., Declaration for Articles of Account, Jeremiah
Hurlbut Debtor, 1818, Ontario County Records Center and Archives, Canan¬
daigua, New York.

3. Jeremiah Hurlbut, Declaration for Articles of Account, Joseph Smith,

385

APPENDIX B

15 May 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a 75-cent debt to Jeremiah Hurlbut for “2 bushels of
Rye & chess [cheese].”

20 May 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a 93-cent debt to Jeremiah Hurlbut for “2 X A bushels of
oats.”

24 May 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a $5.30 debt to Jeremiah Hurlbut: 75 cents for “Plant¬
ing corn one day,” 37 cents for “14 bushel of seed corn,” 43 cents for “}4
bushel of Flax seed,” and $3.75 for “10 bushels of Patatoes.”

June 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a $6.37 debt tojeremiah Hurlbut: $3.75 for “300 Nails,”
$1.12 for “hoing corn 114 days,” and $1.50 for “hoing corn 2 days on
the west lot.”

July 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a $3.37 debt tojeremiah Hurlbut: $3.00 for “3d days
works hoing corn on the east lot & Mowing myself,” and 37 cents for
“sowingBuckwheat 14 day.”

10 July-[August?] 1818

Joseph Sr., Hyrum, and Joseph Jr. work for Jeremiah Hurlbut. 4
August 1818

Joseph Sr. incurs a $6.74/4 debt tojeremiah Hurlbut: $3.50 for “14 Ton
of hay,” 37 cents for “shoeing a horse,” $1.25 for “use of a plow most of
the summer,” and $1.6214 for paying “half of Tax on Land” that Smith
leased from Hurlbut. 5

10 August 1818

Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith are given $53 credit toward a $65 promis-

Sr., Debtor, 1818, Ontario County Records Center and Archives, Canan¬
daigua, New York. This is also the source for the subsequent debts to Hurlbut in
May, June, and July 1818.

4. Joseph Smith, Sr., Declaration for Articles of Account, Jeremiah
Hurlbut Debtor, 1818, Ontario County Records Center and Archives, Canan¬
daigua, New York.

5. Assessment records for 1818 indicate that Hurlbut owed $3.26 for
taxes on land. The total charges to Joseph Sr. for May-August 1818 ($0.75,

386

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

sory note for “Crops on the ground.” With interest (39 cents), the bal¬
ance due is $13.89. 6

Circa 1818 (A)

Joseph Jr., at twelve years old, begins to read the Bible and investigate
various churches (I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 1-2).

Circa 1818 (B)

Lydia Mack dies at Tunbridge (VT) in about 1818 (Anderson 1971,25;
Bushman 1984, 201). She had accompanied Lucy Smith and the chil¬
dren part way on their trip to Palmyra, but because of an injury suffered
by the “upsetting of the sleigh,” she “tarried by the way with her friends
in Vermont, Sc we soon after heard of her death supposing that she never
recovered from the injury received by the overturn of the sleigh” (I. A. 15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, Note A; but see Anderson 1971,
181, n. 93). Lucy said they left Lydia in Royalton (VT) where Daniel
Mack lived and that she died “two years afterwards” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:35, 1853:68, 69). According to Orlando Mack,
son of Solomon Jr., who published a “Record of Grandfather Mack’s Fam¬
ily,” “Lydia, our Grandmother, died in Tunbridge, Vermont” (T. E. Spil-
man, Simi-Centenarians of Butler Grove Township [Montgomery County,
Illinois], cited in the Improvement Era [February 1956]: 110).

12 January 1819

Justice Abraham Spear issues a summons in the case of Joseph Sr. vs. Jer¬
emiah Hurlbut. 7

22 January 1819

Joseph Sr. and Jeremiah Hurlbut appear in the office of Justice Abraham

$0.75, $0.93, $5.30, $6.37, $3.37, $6.74) equaled $24.21, to which Hurlbut
added $25 “for not working land according to agreement” and $28 for “damage
sustained in the wrong apprisal of crops” for a total of “$76.81!4 [$77.2114].”

6. Although dated 10 August 1818, it is likely that the $53 credit was
added to the promissory note by Justice Abraham Spear on 6 February 1819
when it was found that Joseph Sr. and Alvin had mostly fulfilled their contract
with Jeremiah Hurlbut. The credit probably derived from a reversal of Hurlbut’s
claimed damages: $25 “for not working land according to agreement” and $28
for “damage sustained in the wrong apprisal of crops.” The remaining $13.89
($13.50 + .39 interest) perhaps represents the cost of harvesting. The date of 10
August 1818 probably represents the end of the Hurlbut-Smith partnership.

7. Joseph Smith, Sr., vs. Jeremiah Hurlbut, Transcript (Narratio), Court
of Common Pleas, 1819, Ontario County Records Center and Archives,
Canandaigua, New York. This is also the source for the next three entries.

387

APPENDIX B

Spear. Smith, as plaintiff, presents a “Declaration ... for several articles of
account and one Item ... for Damages ... sustained in the purchase of a
span of horses of Defendant which horses was said to be unsound. De¬
fendant Denies the Charge and pleads a set off of a balance Due on a note
and several articles of account.” The court adjourns until 30 January.

30 January 1819

Joseph Sr. andjeremiah Hurlbut appear at Asa Lilly’s tavern and “plaintiff
requests] that the cause should be tried by a Jury.” The court adjourns
until 6 February.

6 February 1819

A jury of twelve is summoned and assembled by Constable Daniel Hin-
dee, probably at Asa Lilly’s tavern. Justice Abraham Spear examines five
witnesses for the plaintiff, includingjoseph Jr. and FLyrum Smith, and seven
for the defendant. The jury “found for the plaintiff $40.78.” Adding $4.76
for court costs, Hurlbut therefore owed $45.54. At the same time, Justice
Spear records on the promissory note a credit of $53 for “Crops on the
ground” (see 10 August 1818). On 9 February 1819, Justice Spear notes
Jeremiah Hurlbut’s appeal to the Ontario County Court of Common Pleas
(see August 1819).

8 February 1819

Jeremiah Hurlbut, Solomon Tice, and William Jackways sign a bond for
$81.56, double the judgment in favor of Joseph Smith, Sr. The bond ac¬
knowledges damages of $40.78 plus costs of $4.76, which Hurlbut and
co-signers promise to pay, plus interest and court costs, should his ap¬
peal to the Court of Common Pleas fail. 8

April 1819

Joseph Sr. appears on the Palmyra (NY) road list, still apparently at the
west end of Mam Street (III.L.l, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD LISTS,
1817-1822). Bylaw, Alvin, who turned twenty-one on 11 February 1819,
should have been fisted; this suggests that he was temporarily absent, per¬
haps boarding and working in a neighboring township. Although he
signed the promissory note to Jeremiah Hurlbut with his father on 27
March 1818, his name is conspicuously absent from the Smith-Hurlbut
records of debt (May-August 1818) as well as from the transcript of the

8. Jeremiah Hurlbut, Solomon Tice, and Willi am Jackways, Bond to Jo¬
seph Smith, Sr., 8 February 1819, Ontario County Records Center and Ar¬
chives, Canandaigua, New York.

388

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

trial (12 January-6 February 1819). Hurlbut’s May 1819 provisional com¬
plaint would state that “Alvin returned by the Sheriff of the said county
not found,” although Joseph Sr. would be in custody (see May 1819).

April 1819-April 1820

The Smiths move into a small log cabin on the property of Samuel Jen¬
nings on Stafford Road near the southern border of Palmyra township
(see 13 June 1820). In April 1819, the Palmyra road list indicates thatjo-
seph Smith is at the west end of Main Street. But in April 1820, Alvin
appears as fifteenth and Joseph Sr., as forty-second on a forty-four-name
list, probably indicating that part of the Smith family moved sometime
between April 1819 and April 1820 to the south end of Stafford Road
(III.L.l, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD LISTS, 1817-1822). A Palmyra road
survey of 13 June 1820 describes the “Joseph Smith dwelling house” as
being on Stafford Road about fifty feet northwest of the Palmyra/Man¬
chester township line (III.L.2, PALMYRA [NY] HIGHWAY SURVEY,
13JUN 1820).

May 1819

Jeremiah Hurlbut issues a provisional complaint stating that Joseph Sr.
and Alvin Smith have not paid him, either in part or in whole, for a $65
promissory note bearing the date of 27 March 1818, nor have the two
paid damages amounting to $140. The complaint is submitted by attor¬
ney Frederick Smith and filed 26 June 1819. 9

August 1819

In the case of Jeremiah Hurlbut vs. Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith, a mo¬
tion is entered by attorney Frederick Smith for Hurlbut. Joseph Sr. and
Alvin Smith “default in not pleading,” therefore the justices “ordered
Interlocu=tory Judgement and that the clerk assess the damages.” 10

23-31 December 1819

Joseph Sr. has his seventh dream/vision (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS-

9. Jeremiah Hurlbut vs. Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith, Provisional Com¬
plaint (De bene esse), Ontario County Court of Common Pleas, May 1819, On¬
tario County Records Center and Archives, Canandaigua, New York.

10. Jeremiah Hurlbut vs. Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith, Appeal, Ontario
County Court of Common Pleas Minutes (1818-47), August 1819 term, Court
Record, 10, Ontario County Records Center and Archives, Canandaigua, New
York. Copied into the Ontario County Court of Common Pleas Minutes
(1819-20), County Record, Liber 8, 19, Ontario County Records Center and
Archives.

389

APPENDIX B

TORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 2, 1853:73-74). Lucy’s 1853 edition says that
this occurred in 1819 and her manuscript says that Joseph Jr. was four¬
teen; strictly speaking, this would have been between 23-31 December
1819.

1820

Fourteen-year-old Joseph Jr. is shot at by an unidentified person (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:58-59).

[Early spring 1820]

Joseph Jr. would ascribe a first vision experience to this year or some¬
time in the early 1820s. His accounts of this experience differ. His 1832
history says that he saw Christ in 1821 (I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1832, 1,3), whereas his 1839 history and subsequent accounts
include two personages in the vision—the Father and the Son—and it is
dated to the spring of 1820 (e.g., I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 3; I.A.19, JOSEPH SMITH TO JOHN WENTWORTH, 1 MAR
1842, 706-7). The 1839 history places the vision in the context of the
1824-25 Palmyra revival (see fall 1824-winter 1825).

Spring 1820

Joseph Jr. leads a money-digging group in the Palmyra area in the spring
of 1820, according to Pomeroy Tucker (III.J.8, POMEROY TUCK¬
ER ACCOUNT, 1867, 21-22; III.J.5, POMEROY TUCKER REM¬
INISCENCE, 1858). Willard Chase remembered that the Smiths were
involved with money digging in 1820 (LA. 14, WILLARD CHASE
STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833, 240).

April 1820

Alvin appears as fifteenth and Joseph Sr. as forty-second on a forty-four-
name list for Palmyra road district 26 (III.L. 1, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD
LISTS, 1817-1822). Alvin was apparently on Main Street, perhaps run¬
ning the family’s cake and ale shop, andjoseph Sr. was south on Stafford
Road near the Palmyra township line, evidently occupying the Jennings
cabin (see April 1819-April 1820 and 13 June 1820).

13 June 1820

A road survey mentions “Joseph Smith’s dwelling house” as being 58.74
feet northwest from the center of Stafford Road at the extreme southern
border of Palmyra township (III.L.2, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD SUR¬
VEY, 13JUN 1820). This cabin was situated on Samueljennings’s land.

21 June 1820

The executors of Nicholas Evertson’s estate convey to Casper W. Eddy,

390

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

a New York City physician, power of attorney to sell Evertson’s land
holdings, including the 100-acre lot the Smiths later purchase (III.L.4,
SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-1830).

22 June 1820

The entire 300 acres of Farmington (now Manchester) Lot 1 is taxed to
the heirs of Nicholas Evertson, indicating that the Smiths had not yet con¬
tracted for their land (III.L.6, SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND
ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1821-1823 & 1830).

13 July 1820

Alvin Smith incurs a 63-cent debt with Gain Robinson (III.L.5, GAIN
C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

14 July 1820

In Canandaigua (NY), Casper W. Eddy transfers to Zachariah Seymour
power of attorney over Evertson land in Farmington (later Manchester)
(III.L.4, SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-
1830).

14 July 1820-5 February 1821

Joseph Sr. and Alvin contract with Zachariah Seymour for 100 acres of
the Evertson land in Farmington (III.L.4, SMITH MANCHESTER
[NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-1830). This occurred after Seymour
received power of attorney for the land on 14 July 1820 and before 5 Feb¬
ruary 1821, the last possible day for the 1820 census which lists the Smiths
in Farmington, indicating that the Smiths had already contracted for the
land.

7 August 1820-5 February 1821

The Smiths are enumerated in the 1820 Farmington (later Manchester)
census. This seems possible only if the Smiths had already contracted for
the land and were planning to move onto the property. Both Joseph Jr.
and Samuel Harrison are missing from the 1820 census, perhaps because
they were hired out in another township (III.L.3, FARMINGTON [NY]
CENSUS RECORD, 1820). As family No. 524 on a 661-name list, the
Smiths were among the last 25 percent to be enumerated—toward the
end of the census taking but not necessarily as late as February 1821.

23 August 1820

Solomon Mack dies (age 87) in Gilsum (NH) (Anderson 1971,25).

31 March 1821

Farmington is divided, the west half retaining the name Farmington and

391

APPENDIX B

the east designated as Burt—later Manchester (see 16 April 1822). How¬
ever, the town records continue to list Farmington for both areas.

April 1821

Joseph Sr., Alvin, and Hyrum appear on the Palmyra road list, apparently
all south of Palmyra village on Stafford Road (III.L.l, PALMYRA [NY]
ROAD LISTS, 1817-1822).

7 July 1821

Smith’s Farmington (Manchester) land is assessed at $700, the typical val¬
ue of unimproved land (III.L.6, SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND
ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1821-1823). This is the first time the Smiths
are taxed for their land, the previous assessment of 22 June 1820 having
taxed the heirs of Nicholas Evertson for the entire 300 acres of Lot 1.

14 July 1821-5 February 1822

The second payment on the Smiths’ Farmington (Manchester) farm
comes due (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:37-38). Lucy
says there were three payments, that the first was broken up into several
installments, and that her family had “made nearly all of the first pay¬
ment” in one year but that “the second payment was now coming due
and no means as yet of meeting it. ” She further states that Alvin left home
to find work and raise “the second payment and the remainder of the
first” and returned with “the necessary amount of money for all except
the last payment” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:37-40).

18 July 1821

Lucy Smith is bom in Palmyra (NY), perhaps indicating that the Smiths
had not yet moved to Farmington (I.H.l, SMITH FAMILY GENEAL¬
OGY, 1834).

1 September 1821

Samuel Jennings dies, Joseph Sr. owing him $12.50 (III.L.7, SAMUEL
JENNINGS ESTATE PAPERS, 1822).

5 January 1822

The inventory of the Samuel Jennings estate shows that Joseph Sr. owed
$12.50 to Jennings, who died on 1 September 1821 (III.L.7, SAMUEL
JENNINGS ESTATE PAPERS, 1822).

April 1822

Joseph Sr. and Alvin appear on the Palmyra road list, indicating that the
Smiths had not yet moved to their Farmington (Manchester) property
(III.L.l, PALMYRA [NY] ROAD LISTS, 1817-1822).

392

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

16 April 1822

Burt township is renamed Manchester (see 31 March 1821).

29 June 1822

The Smiths’ Manchester land is assessed at $700, indicating that no sig¬
nificant improvements had been made (III.L.6, SMITH MANCHES¬
TER [NY] LAND ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1821-1823 & 1830).

2 July 1822

Zachariah Seymour, the Smiths’ land agent, dies (Palmyra Herald , 17 July
1822), leaving the Smiths no way of making the last payment (due be¬
tween 14 July 1822 and 5 February 1823).

June 1822-July 1823

The Smiths complete construction of the log cabin and move onto the
Manchester farm (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:37). The
date is deduced from the following facts: (1) the Smiths were still in Pal¬
myra when daughter Lucy was born on 18 July 1821; (2) Joseph Sr. and
Alvin appear on the Palmyra road fist in April 1822; (3) Lucy Mack Smith
describes the events of 1823 as “the spring after we moved onto the farm”
(MS:39); (4) on 24 July 1823, the Smith property was assessed at $1000,
a significant increase from the previous year, indicating completion of
the cabin after June 1822 and before July 1823 (III.L.6, SMITH MAN¬
CHESTER [NY] LAND ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1821-1823 &
1830); (5) Joseph Jr. said that it was about four years after his father’s ar¬
rival in Palmyra (1816) that his family moved to Manchester, which might
refer to the purchase of the property sometime between 14 July 1820 and
5 February 1821 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 1); and
(6) William Smith said that the move occurred in 1821 (I.D.4, WILLIAM
SMITH, ONMORMONISM, 1883, 5; I.D.2, WILLIAM SMITH
NOTES, CIRCA 1875,17).

14 July 1822-5 February 1823

Due to the death of land agent Zachariah Seymour on 2 July 1822, the
Smiths are unable to make the third and final payment on the Manches¬
ter farm (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:39).

Circa summer/fall 1822

A brown seer stone is found while digging a well on the Chase property
in 1822, probably in the summer or fall after the harvest season when
they had time for such activities (III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATE¬
MENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833, 240-41). Willard Chase claimed that he

393

APPENDIX B

found the stone, that Smith borrowed it from him, that Smith had the
stone for two years and then returned it, and that in 1825 Hyrum bor¬
rowed the stone and never returned it.

24 July 1823

The Smiths’ Manchester land is assessed at $1,000, indicating completion
of the log cabin after June 1822 and before July 1823 (III.L.6, SMITH
MANCHESTER [NY] LAND ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1821-1823
& 1830).

21-22 September 1823

During the late night and early morning hours, Joseph Jr. has a vision of
an “angel” or “spirit” who appears three times and tells him about the
plates buried in a nearby hill (e.g., I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 7; see also I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832,1, 4, which
dates the vision to 22 September 1822 but gives Smith’s age as seven¬
teen [1823]). Lucy Mack Smith seems to separate Joseph’s nocturnal an¬
gelic visitations from his discovery of the plates by about two months, dat¬
ing the angelic visitations to harvest time in July 1823 and the visit to
the hill on 22 September 1823 (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS:4Q-41). This gap conflicts with Joseph’s own accounts which, when
the 1832 account is corrected, consistently place the angel’s visits on the
evening of 21-22 September 1823 and the discovery of the plates on the
day following.

22 September 1823

Joseph Jr. visits the nearby Manchester hill and three times fails to obtain
the plates. The angel/spirit instructs him to return to the hill at the same
time the following year (e.g., I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832,
4; I.C.l, JOSEPH SMITH, SR., INTERVIEW WITH FAYETTE LAP-
HAM, 1830,306; III.G. 11, OLIVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS,
JUL 1835; III.G.13, OLIVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS, OCT
1835). In some accounts, he is told to return the following year with his
older brother Alvin (e.g., III.B.12, LORENZO SAUNDERS INTER¬
VIEW, 17 SEP 1884,9-10; III.B.15, LORENZO SAUNDERS INTER¬
VIEW, 12 NOV 1884,16; IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINIS¬
CENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847,1).

23 September 1823

Joseph Jr. gives his family a detailed description of the angel/spirit and
golden plates in the family’s evening conversations (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:42-43; I.D.l, WILLIAM SMITH INTERVIEW

394

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

WITH JAMES MURDOCK, 1841; I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ON
MORMONISM , 1883, 9-10; I.D.5, WILLIAM SMITH TESTIMONY,
1884, 643).

30 October 1823

Joseph (Sr./Jr.?) incurs a $4.25 debt and Hyrum incurs an $11.75 debt
with Gam Robinson (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON
ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

1-15 November 1823

The Smiths begin construction of their frame house. According to Lucy
Smith, “when the month of November 1822 [1823] arrived the House
was raised and all the Materials procured for completing the building”
(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:45).

15 November 1823

Alvin gets sick and the doctors attending him administer a “heavy dose
of Calomel,” which results in his death four days later (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS: 45).

17 November 1823

Joseph (probably Sr.) incurs a $6.63 debt with Gain Robinson and a $6.13
debt with Cains Robinson (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROB¬
INSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

19 November 1823

Dr. Alexander McIntyre and four other physicians, including perhaps Gain
Robinson, attend to Alvin Smith, but Alvin dies (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:46; III.L.8, ALVIN SMITH GRAVESTONE,
19 NOV 1823).

20 November 1823

The possible date of Alvin Smith’s autopsy (see III.L.5, GAIN C. AND
CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830, under 20
November 1823).

17 May 1824

John Greenwood of New York City receives power of attorney over
the Evertson lands and becomes the Smiths’ new land agent (III.L.4,
SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-1830).

22 September 1824

Joseph Jr. returns to the Manchester hill (without Alvin) and fails to get

395

APPENDIX B

the plates (I.A.15 JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 7; I.C.l JOSEPH
SMITH, SR., INTERVIEW WITH FAYETTE LAPHAM, 1830, 307;
IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA
1835-1847, 1). According to some sources, Joseph was instructed to bring
Samuel Lawrence with him on his next annual visit (III. A. 14, WILLARD
CHASE STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833, 243; III.B.12, LOR¬
ENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 17 SEP 1884,10), but other sources
say that he was instructed to bring his future wife, whom he had not yet
met (III.A.15, HENRY HARRIS STATEMENT, CIRCA 1833, 252;
III.B.15, LORENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 12 NOV 1884, 16;
III.F.l, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN A.
CLARK, 1827 & 1828, 225-26; I.A.l,JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMI¬
NISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 1). It is likely that no future visits were
planned at this time and that Samuel Lawrence and Emma Hale are retro¬
spective insertions into the story.

25 September 1824

As a result of community gossip, Joseph Sr. and a few neighbors exhume
Alvin’s body and report in the local newspaper that the body was found
undisturbed (III.E.l, WAYNE SENTINEL , 1824-1836, under 29 Sep¬
tember 1824).

FaH 1824-Winter 1825

Palmyra experiences a religious revival, during which Lucy and three
of her older children (Hyrum, Sophronia, and Samuel) join the Presby¬
terian church (I.A.15,JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 1-2; I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:49-50; see also Walters 1969a;
Walters 1969b; M. Hill 1982). It was probably during this 1824-25 re¬
vival that Joseph Jr.’s “mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist
sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them,” but he did not join
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 2; see also IIIJ.2, OR-
SAMUS TURNER ACCOUNT, 1851, 214; III.J.8, POMEROY
TUCKER ACCOUNT, 1867, 18).

January-October 1825

Hyrum borrows the seer stone from Willard Chase (III.A. 14, WILLARD
CHASE STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833, 241). This occurred be¬
fore late October when Joseph Jr. carried it with him in accompanying
Josiah Stowell to Harmony (PA).

18 February 1825

Joseph Sr. appears before Justice Peter Mitchell and acknowledges a $66.59

396

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

debt to Russell Stoddard “for work & labour Sc lumber Which the said
plaintiff did for me in building a dwelling house.”

2 May 1825

Joseph (probably Sr.) incurs a $9.38 debt with Gain Robinson (III.L.5,
GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-
1830).

20 May 1825

The execution order is issued by Justice Peter Mitchel in the case of Rus¬
sell Stoddard vs. Joseph Smith, Sr., probably authorizing the constable to
collect damages or to arrest Joseph Sr.

22 September 1825

Joseph Jr.’s second annual visit to Manchester hill and failure to retrieve
the golden plates (I.A.15 JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 7).

10 October 1825

Enoch Saunders, father of Lorenzo and Benjamin Saunders, dies (III.D.9,
LORENZO SAUNDERS STATEMENT, 21JUL 1887). The Smiths,
particularly Hyrum and Joseph Sr., attend to Enoch during his illness
(III.B.6, ORLANDO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 1881; III.B.13,
BENJAMIN SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, CIRCA SEP 1884, 30;
III.B.15, LORENZO SAUNDERS INTERVIEW, 12 NOV 1884,12).

10-24 October 1825

The Smith family meets Josiah Stowell, who hires Joseph Jr. to locate a
lost Spanish mine in Harmony (PA) with a seer stone (I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 8; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
1853:91-92; III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JO¬
EL TIFFANY, 1859,164; III.G.13, OLIVER COWDERY TO W. W.
PHELPS, OCT 1853, 200-201). Joseph Jr. says that Stowell came in Oc¬
tober 1825. This was probably after Enoch Saunders’s death on 10 Oc¬
tober and before 26 October 1825 when Stowell evidently returned to
South Bainbridge to pay an old debt to Otis Loveland (Zechariah Tar-
ble, Docket Book, 1822-26, South Bainbridge Town Hall, South Bain-
bridge, New York). The high-end date is determined by subtracting a
minimal two-day trip from Manchester to South Bainbridge.

11. Russell Stoddard vs. Joseph Smith, Sr., 1825 Common Pleas Tran¬
scripts, Ontario County Records Center and Archives, Canandaigua, New
York. This is also the source for 20 May 1825 below.

397

APPENDIX B

12-26 October 1825

Bothjoseph Sr. andjosephjr. accompanyjosiah Stowell to South Bain-
bridge (NY) before continuing on to Harmony (PA). Joseph Jr. says that
Stowell took him to Harmony “[ajfter I went to live with <him>” (I.A.15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 8). An October return to South
Bainbridge seems to be supported by Stowell’s statement duringjoseph
Jr.’s March 1826 court hearing that Joseph had been at his house about
five months (IV.F.l, BAINBRIDGE [NY] COURT RECORD, 20
MAR 1826). The low-end date is determined by adding to Enoch Saun¬
ders’s death date a minimal two-day trip from Manchester to South Bain¬
bridge.

24 October 1825

The Erie Canal officially opens (Backman 1980, 46; Bushman 1984, 45).
October/November 1825

The Smiths’ frame house is completed. Lucy says that Josiah Stowell vis¬
ited them “a short time before the house was completed” (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845,1853:91). It is uncertain if the house was com¬
pleted before or after Joseph Sr. andjosephjr. left for Chenango County
(NY) in mid-late October.

1 November 1825

Joseph Sr.’s andjosephjr. ’s names appear on the “Articles of Agreement”
for Josiah Stowell’s money-digging company, drafted and signed with
seven other men in Harmony on 1 November (V.E.l, ARTICLES OF
AGREEMENT, 1 NOV 1825).

Circa 1-17 November 1825

The Smiths (Joseph Sr. andjosephjr.) and the money digging company
board with Isaac Hale in Harmony (PA). Hale says that the company dis¬
persed about 17 November (V.A.l, ISAAC HALE STATEMENT, 1834,
264). Judging from one member’s unpaid bill, which Hale says was $12.68,
the company must have lodged with him for at least seventeen days (about
74!4 cents per day), or perhaps even longer (cf. Joseph Jr.’s three meals
and one night’s lodging at 50 cents in IV.F.5, EBENEZER HATCH
BILL OF COSTS, 4JUL 1830).

November/December 1825

In Joseph Sr.’s absence, Russell Stoddard obtains the deed to the Smiths’
land through deceit, telling the land agent that Joseph Sr. had abandoned
his family. Hyrum visits the land agent in Canandaigua and assures him
that his father will return in time to make the final payment on 25 De-

398

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

cember 1825 as previously arranged. As instructed by the land agent, Hy-
rum sends letters to taverns along the route to Chenango County (NY) in
an attempt to contact his father, who discovers one of these letters about
fifty miles from Palmyra (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS:53-54;I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ONMORMONISM, 1883,14).

Circa 15 December 1825

Possible date the two Josephs returned to Manchester (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:55). Lucy Smith says they returned on
the Thursday before Lemuel Durfee bought the Smith farm, which oc¬
curred on Tuesday, 20 December 1825 (see 20 December 1825).

20 December 1825

Lemuel Durfee buys the Smith farm and allows the Smiths to remain on
the property as “renters” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:56-
58; III.L.4, SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-
1830). Lucy says that “Mr Durfy gave us the privilege of the place [for]
one year with this provision that samuel our 4th son was to labor for him
6 months. ... [I]f after we had kept the place in this way one year we still
chose to remain we could have the priviledge” (see also 16 April 1827).

20 December 1825-19 March 1826

Joseph Sr. andjosephJr. return to the Colesville/South Bainbridge (NY)
area sometime after Lemuel Durfee bought the Smith farm on 20 De¬
cember 1825 and before 19 March 1826 when Joseph Jr. is served a war¬
rant in South Bainbridge. It is probable that their stay in Manchester was
short because Josiah Stowell would testify at the 20 March 1826 court
hearing that Joseph Jr. lived with him for five months (i.e., November
1825-March 1826), implying continuous lodging (IV.F.l, BAIN¬
BRIDGE [NY] COURT RECORD, 20 MAR 1826). This was prob¬
ably the time when Josiah Stowell, Jr., said he went to school with Jo¬
seph Jr. “one winter” andjoseph was “about 20 years old or there about”
(IV.B.l, JOSIAH STOWELL, JR., TO JOHN S. FULLMER, 17 FEB
1843; IV.D.8, ASA B. SEARLES REMINISCENCE, 1882). It is also
possible that Lucy is mistaken and that onlyjoseph Sr. returned to Man¬
chester.

19 March 1826

Peter Bridgman, a nephew of Josiah Stowell, issues a warrant accusing
Joseph Jr. of being “a disorderly person and an Impostor.” Joseph is served
a warrant by Constable Philip DeZeng on 19 March 1826 and spends two

399

APPENDIX B

days and one night in custody (IV.F.3, PHILIP DEZENG BILL OF
COSTS, 1826).

20 March 1826

Joseph Jr. appears at preliminary hearing before South Bainbridge Jus¬
tice Albert Neely (IV.F.l, BAINBRIDGE [NY] COURT RECORD,
20 MAR 1826; IV.F.2, ALBERT NEELY BILL OF COSTS, 20 MAR
1826). Neely finds cause to proceed with trial and releases Smith on his
own recognizance. When Neely learns that Smith has unlawfully crossed
the county line into Colesville (presumably to the home ofjoseph Knight),
Neely orders Constable DeZeng to arrest and return Smith to South Bain¬
bridge (“10 miles ... with Mittimus to take him”) and to notify two other
justices (IV.F.3, PHILIP DEZENG BILL OF COSTS, 1826). Apparently
Smith and Neely work out an off-the-record agreement requiring that
Smith discontinue treasure seeing and remove from South Bainbridge
for six months. W. D. Purple, who mistakenly dates the trial to Febru¬
ary 1826, says that Smith left town “a few weeks” after trial (IV.D.2, WIL¬
LIAM D. PURPLE REMINISCENCE, 28 APR 1877).

12 June 1826

Lemuel Durfee’s will is drafted with a provision to sell the Smith prop¬
erty and distribute the sales among Durfee’s heirs (III.L.4, SMITH MAN¬
CHESTER [NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-1830).

22 September 1826

Joseph Jr.’s third annual visit to the Manchester hill and failure to obtain
the golden plates (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 7).

FaH 1826 (A)

Joseph Jr. or Hyrum refuses to return the brown seer stone to Willard
Chase (III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC
1833,241).

Fall 1826 (B)

Joseph Jr. takes Samuel Lawrence to Harmony (PA) to seek treasure on
the banks of the Susquehanna River. Lawrence recommends his friend
to Emma Hale for marriage (III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATEMENT,
CIRCA 11 DEC 1833, 243-44; III.B.12, LORENZO SAUNDERS IN¬
TERVIEW, 17 SEP 1884, 9,11).

13 October 1826

Unclaimed letters for Joseph and Hyrum Smith are being held in the Pal¬
myra Post Office (Wayne Sentinel 13 October 1826).

400

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831
November 1826-17 January 1827

According to Joseph Knight, Sr., Joseph Jr. worked for him in Colesville
in November 1826 until the time of Joseph’s marriage, 18 January 1827
(IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-
1847,2).

2 November 1826

Hyrum Smith marries Jerusha Barden (L. Smith 1853, 40; I.H.3, SMITH
FAMILY BIBLE RECORDS, NO DATES).

17 January 1827

Joseph Jr. travels from Colesville (NY) to Harmony (PA) with Joseph
Knight’s horse and cutter and takes Emma along while her father, Isaac
Hale, attends church (VI.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINIS¬
CENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 2; IV.D.10, WILLIAM R. HINE
STATEMENT, CIRCA MAR 1885; V.A.l, ISAAC HALE STATE¬
MENT, 1834). W. R. Hine says that this event took place on the Sunday
before the marriage (14 January), but more likely Hale was attending
Methodist class on Wednesday, 17 January (see Newell and Avery 1984,
312, n. 3). It has been suggested that Emma perhaps stayed the night with
her sister Elizabeth Wasson who lived near Joseph Knight in Colesville
(NY) (Grant 1960, 338).

18 January 1827

Joseph Jr. and Emma Hale are married in South Bainbridge (NY) by Squire
Tarbell (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 8; I.H.l, SMITH
FAMILY GENEALOGY, 1834, 9).

19-29 January 1827

“Immediately” after their marriage, and with the help of Josiah Stowell,
Joseph and Emma leave South Bainbridge for Manchester (I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 8; IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR.,
REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 2). Lucy Smith says that Emma
andjoseph arrived at Manchester in January 1827 (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:58). The high-end date for their departure is cal¬
culated by subtracting a minimal two-day trip from the last day of month.

10 March 1827

Joseph Jr. pays $4.00 to Abraham Fish’s account at the store of Joel and
Levi Thayre in Palmyra (III.L.ll, JOSEPH SMITH RECEIPT TO AB¬
RAHAM FISH, 10 MAR 1827).

Circa 1 April 1827

The Smiths enter a two-year agreement with Lemuel Durfee and con-

401

APPENDIX B

tinue as renters on their former property (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:92; see also Circa 1 April 1829).

16 April 1827

Gain Robinson visits the Smiths and charges 50 cents for medicine
(III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT
BOOKS, 1820- 1830). On the same day, Samuel Harrison Smith agrees
to work for Lemuel Durfee “by the Month ... 7 Months for the use of
the place Where Said Joseph Smith lives” (III.L.10, LEMUEL DUR¬
FEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829; see also Circa 1 April 1827).

31 May 1827

Joseph (probably Sr.) and Hyrum incur debt for three barrels of cider
(III.L. 10, LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

June 1827

Joseph Sr. tells Willard Chase about his son finding the golden plates and
encountering a spirit (III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATEMENT, CIR¬
CA 11 DEC 1833, 242-43).

26 June 1827

Joseph (probably Sr.) incurs a debt for a veal hind quarter (23 pounds for
69 cents) and forequarter (22 pounds at 55 cents) (III.L.10, LEMUEL
DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

16 July 1827

Joseph (probably Sr.) purchases painting materials for his wife at Cains
Robinson’s store (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON AC¬
COUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

August 1827 (A)

The Smiths mow a field for Lemuel Durfee. Joseph Sr. works for three
days, Joseph Jr. two days, and Hyrum one day (III.L.10, LEMUEL
DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

August 1827 (B)

Peter Ingersoll accompanies Joseph and Emma to Harmony (PA) to help
move Emma’s furniture to Manchester (NY). Isaac Hale confronts Joseph
about stealing away his daughter. Joseph promises to give up money dig¬
ging and stone gazing, and Isaac promises to help Joseph and Emma get
established in Harmony (III.L.9, PETER INGERSOLL STATEMENT,
2 DEC 1833; V.A.l, ISAAC HALE STATEMENT, 1834).

402

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

1 September 1827

Joseph (probably Sr.) and Hyrum incur debt for two barrels of cider
(III.L.IO, LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

16 September 1827

Hyrum’s daughter Lovina is born (I.H.3, SMITH FAMILY BIBLE RE¬
CORDS, NO DATES; L. Smith 1853, 42).

18 September 1827

Joseph Sr. buys lampblack and other painting materials ($2.44) for his “son”
(III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT
BOOKS, 1820-1830).

20 September 1827

Lucy Smith says Joseph Knight andjosiah Stowell arrived at her home
on 20 September 1827 and remained several days (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:60).

22 September 1827 (A)

Joseph Jr. obtains the golden plates from the hill during the early morn¬
ing hours on Saturday, 22 September 1827 (LAY, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1832, 5; I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 8; I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:60-61). Katharine Smith says that
Joseph got the plates at 2 a.m. (I.E.2, KATHARINE SMITH SALIS¬
BURY TO DEAR SISTERS, 10 MAR 1886); Benjamin Saunders says
midnight (III.J.24, ORSON SAUNDERS ACCOUNT, 1893). The
plates are not brought home but are left hidden in the woods.

22 September 1827 (B)

Lucy sends Joseph Jr. to a cabinet maker, probably Willard Chase, to make
a chest in which to put the plates (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, MS:62). Chase says this occurred in the “fore part” of September
(III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833,
245), perhaps unaware that there was a gap between when Smith re¬
moved the plates from the hill and when he took them home; Chase as¬
sumed Smith had approached him before 22 September.

23 September 1827

Joseph Jr. goes to Macedon to work for widow Wells (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:62; III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE
STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833, 246).

23/30 September 1827

Lorenzo Saunders and others go to the Manchester hill in an attempt to

403

APPENDIX B

locate the hole from which Smith might have taken the plates but cannot
find one (III.J.20, LORENZO SAUNDERS TO THOMAS GREGG,
28 JAN 1885; III.D.9, LORENZO SAUNDERS STATEMENT, 21
JUL 1887). Saunders refers to “the next Sunday” and “the Sunday fol¬
lowing” the removal of the plates, but considering the sequence of events,
he may have meant 30 September.

24-27 September 1827 (A)

Joseph Sr. spies on a neighbor, Samuel Lawrence, and others and discov¬
ers that they have hired a conjuror to find the plates. Emma is sent to re¬
trieve Joseph Jr. from Macedon. Joseph Jr. goes into the woods to get
the plates from their hiding place and on his return is attacked and dislo¬
cates his thumb (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS: 63-66;
III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JOEL TIFFANY,
1859, 166-67). Josiah Stowell said he was the “first person” who took the
plates out of Smith’s hands “the morning [he] brought them in” (IV.B.2,
MARTHA CAMPBELL TO JOSEPH SMITH, 19 DEC 1843). Wil¬
liam and Katharine Smith lifted and felt them through an old frock coat
(I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ON MORMONISM, 1883, 12; I.E.3,
HERBERT S. SALISBURY REMINISCENCES, 1945 & 1954). Wil¬
lard Chase said Smith worked in Macedon about ten days before Emma
went after him (III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATEMENT, CIRCA
11 DEC 1833, 246), but Lucy Smith says it was only “a little while”
(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:62) or the “next day” be¬
fore he returned (1853:102). Knight said that he and Stowell stayed in
Manchester “several days” (IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMI¬
NISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 2). Considering that they arrived on
20 September (see above) and were preparing to leave on the morning
of the 22nd, it seems unlikely that Stowell and Knight would still be at
the Smith home ten days later. The low-end date is determined by add¬
ing a minimum of one day in Macedon. The high-end date is derived by
subtracting three days from the end of the month when Smith hides the
plates in his father’s cooper shop “a few days after” bringing them home
(see 24-30 September 1827).

24-27 September 1827 (B)

Alvah Beaman, who was visiting the Smiths from Lavonia (NY), helps
hide the plates under the hearth (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
MS:67-68; III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JOEL
TIFFANY, 1859, 166-67; III.K.12, MARY A. NOBLE AUTOBIO¬
GRAPHY, CIRCA 1834-1836; IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR.,
REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 3).

404

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831
24-30 September 1827

Joseph Jr. hides the plates across the road in the cooper’s shop. During the
night the box is found and destroyed by enemies. Smith explains that he
had removed the plates from the box and placed them in the loft. Lucy
Smith says that this event occurred “a few days after” Joseph brought the
plates home, and Martin Harris says it was before 1 October (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:68-69; III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS IN¬
TERVIEW WITH JOEL TIFFANY, 1859,167).

Late September-November 1827

Joseph works with his father on the Manchester farm (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:67).

Circa 1 October 1827

Martin Harris learns from his brother Preserved Harris about Joseph Jr.’s
discovery (III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JOEL
TIFFANY, 1859,167-68).

Fall 1827 (after 1 October)

Martin Harris tells Egbert B. Grandin and John H. Gilbert about Smith’s
discovery of golden plates and “spectacles” (III.H.10, JOHN H. GILBERT
MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP 1892, 4). Harris may have also discussed the
matter with John A. Clark about this time (III.F.l, MARTIN HARRIS
INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN A. CLARK, 1827 Sc 1828).

Early October 1827

Joseph Jr. sends his mother to request Martin Harris’s help. Eventually Jo¬
seph meets with Harris and his wife (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, MS:70-71; III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH
JOEL TIFFANY, 1859,168).

5 October 1827

Unclaimed letters for Joseph Jr., Samuel Harrison, and “Smith Sc Co.”
are being held in the post office (Wayne Sentinel, 5 October 1827; the last
letter is dated 1 October 1827).

Circa November 1827

Joseph Smith’s brother-in-law, Alvah Hale, arrives in Manchester (NY)
to help him and Emma move to Harmony (I. A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1832, 5; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:72-73).
Martin Harris gives Smith $50 in a tavern, with Hale as a witness (I.A. 15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 9; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS-

405

APPENDIX B

TORY, 1845, MS:73). Joseph Knight says the $50 was given in Novem¬
ber (IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA
1835-1847,3).

1-23 December 1827

Joseph and Emma Smith and Alva Hale leave Manchester (NY). Joseph
says they left in December (LAY, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832,
5) when he was twenty-one, perhaps indicating a departure before his
twenty-second birthday on 23 December (I. A. 10, JOSEPH SMITH TO
OLIVER COWDERY, DEC 1834). Lucy Smith has December (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:73). But Martin Hams says they
left on a Saturday night about the last of October or first of November
(III.F.10, MARTIN HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH JOEL TIFFANY,
1859, 170). Joseph Knight implies that the Smiths left in November
(IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA
1835-1847, 3). Peter Ingersoll says it took place in the fall of 1827 (III.A.9,
PETER INGERSOLL STATEMENT, 2 DEC 1827). The plates were
transported in a barrel of beans (e.g., LA. 17, ORSON PRATT AC¬
COUNT, 1840,13-14).

Circa mid-December 1827

Joseph, Emma, and Alvah Hale arrive in Harmony (PA). Joseph and Em¬
ma live briefly with Isaac Hale, who forbids Joseph from keeping the plates
in his house (LAY, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 5).

Circa late December 1828

Shortly before 2 January 1828, Joseph and Emma move into a small house
formerly occupied by Jesse Hale (V.E.4, HARMONY [PA] ASSESS¬
MENT RECORDS, 1828-1831; V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH HARMONY
[PA] LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833). The land assessment taken be¬
tween 3 December 1827 and 2 January 1828 indicates that Smith was taxed
$10 for his home and another $10 for a cow.

Circa late December 1827-12 April 1828

Joseph Smith begins dictating his translation to his wife sometime after
their arrival in Harmony in December 1827 and before Martin Harris
becomes the scribe on 12 April 1828 (I.F.1,EMMA SMITH BIDAMON
INTERVIEW WITH EDMUND C. BRIGGS, 1856). Joseph Knight
says that Emma wrote for Joseph “through the winter” (IV. A. 1 JOSEPH
KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 4). Emma’s
brother Reuben may have also helped as a scribe during this time (e.g.,

406

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

I.F.3, EMMA SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH
SMITH III, FEB 1879, 289).

December 1827-February 1828

Joseph Jr. says that he copied “a considerable number” of the characters
from the plates and “translated some of them” between December 1827 and
February 1828 (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 9; V.E.2,
BOOK OF MORMON CHARACTERS, DEC 1827-FEB 1828).

30 December 1827

Sophronia Smith marries Calvin Stoddard in Palmyra (NY) (Utah Genea¬
logical and Historical Magazine, October 1935, 150; I.H.3, SMITH FAM¬
ILY BIBLE RECORDS, NO DATES). Lucy Smith misdates the mar¬
riage to 2 December 1827 (L. Smith 1853, 39).

Circa January 1828

Joseph Sr. and Lucy visit Martin Harris and wife “in the early part of the
winter in 1828.” During this visit, they explain that Joseph Jr. wants to
visit Manchester (NY) and needs money for the coach (III.A.6, ABI¬
GAIL HARRIS STATEMENT, 28 NOV 1833).

29 January 1828

Joseph Sr. purchases “Calomel” for his wife at Gain Robinson’s store (III.L.5,
GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-

1830) .

February 1828

Martin Harris takes a sheet of paper with characters copied from the Book
of Mormon to eastern scholars, including Charles Anthon of Columbia
University in New York City. Harris visits Harmony (PA) briefly, then
returns home (I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 5; I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 9). John H. Gilbert says that on the
way to New York City, Harris stopped in Albany to see Lt. Governor
Bradish (III.H.10, JOHN H. GILBERT MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP
1892). W. W. Phelps says that Harris went to Utica, Albany, and New
York City (III.I.2, WILLIAM W. PHELPS TO E. D. HOWE, 15 JAN

1831) . Lucy says that her son Hyrum accompanied Harris on his initial
visit to Harmony (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:73).

Circa February-March 1828

Lucy Harris accompanies her husband, Martin Harris, on a two-week stay
in Harmony (PA). She searches Smith’s house and the nearby woods for
the plates (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:74-75). This

407

APPENDIX B

visit apparently took place “in the winter time” when snow was still on
the ground (perhaps in February or early March).

1 February 1828

Joseph (probably Sr.) is credited $3.25 to his account with Gain Robin¬
son (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAIN C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT
BOOKS, 1820-1830).

Circa March 1828

Upon returning to Palmyra, Martin Harris and wife visit Abigail Harris,
who reported that Lucy strongly disbelieved Smith’s claims, while Mar¬
tin expressed the hope of making money from the Book of Mormon pro¬
ject (III.A.6, ABIGAIL HARRIS STATEMENT, 28 NOV 1833).

12 April 1828

Martin Harris arrives in Harmony (PA) and works as Smith’s scribe until
about 14June (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 9).

13 May 1828

Joseph Sr. and Samuel Smith incur a $3.38 debt for three barrels of cider
(III.L.10, LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

9 June 1828

Hyrum Smith apparently purchases a cow from Cains Robinson for
$16.75; also on this day, Gain Robinson may have extracted a tooth for
Hyrum (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT
BOOKS, 1820-1830).

Circa 14 June 1828

Martin Harris pressures Joseph Smith for permission to return to Palmyra
(NY) with the translation manuscript. After asking God three times, Smith
allows Harris to take about 116 pages of manuscript (I. A.7, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 5-6; I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY
1839, 9-10). While Smith’s 1839 history has the 14th—the day before
Emma gave birth—Lucy Smith says that Harris was gone about a week
before Emma gave birth (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
1853:118; MS:79).

15 June 1828

Emma Smith gives birth, but her infant son dies the same day (V.E.3, IN¬
FANT’S GILA VEST ONE, 15 JUN 1828; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:79). The Smiths name their infant Alvin (I.H.3,
SMITH FAMILY BIBLE RECORDS, NO DATES). Sophia Lewis,

408

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

who was present at the birth, says the infant was “still-born and very much
deformed” (V.A.5, SOPHIA LEWIS STATEMENT, 1834).

Circa 15 June 1829-29 June 1829

Lucy Smith says Joseph attended to his sick wife for “two weeks” (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,MS:80, 1853:118).

18 June 1828

Hyrum and Samuel Smith hoe one day each for Lemuel Durfee (III.L. 10,
LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

20 June 1828

Joseph Sr. and Samuel incur a $3.38 debt for three barrels of cider (III.L. 10,
LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

Circa 25 June 1828

Joseph Jr. joins a Methodist class in Harmony for three days. According
to Joseph and Hiel Lewis, Joseph Smith joined on a Wednesday after¬
noon in June 1828 at their father Nathaniel Lewis’s house (V. A.6, JO¬
SEPH AND HIEL LEWIS STATEMENTS, 1879, under 30 April 1879).
If the Lewises are correct about the date, his involvement with the Meth¬
odists would have likely followed the death of his infant son on 15 June,
thus making the 18th or 25th (Wednesdays) probable dates, the latter
being more likely due to Emma’s illness. It is also possible that the Lewises
were mistaken about the date and that this event occurred in early July
after Smith’s return from Manchester when he had learned of the loss of
the translation manuscript (see early July 1828).

Circa 28 June 1828

Joseph Smith withdraws from the Harmony (PA) Methodist class on a
Sunday, according to Joseph and Hiel Lewis, perhaps either 21 or 28 June,
the latter being more likely (V.A.6, JOSEPH AND HIEL LEWIS STATE¬
MENTS, 1879, under 11 June 1879; see also 25 June 1828). While the
Lewises say that Smith was on the class books three days, Michael Morse,
the class leader and Smith’s brother-in law, believed his name was in the
book for six months, perhaps from June to November 1828 (see V.A.6,
JOSEPH AND HIEL LEWIS STATEMENTS, 1879, n. 22).

7 July 1828

Joseph Sr. and “Rockwell”—probably Orin, father of Orrin Porter Rock¬
well—hoe three days for Lemuel Durfee (III.L. 10, LEMUEL DURFEE
ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

409

APPENDIX B

Early July 1828 (A)

Joseph Jr. visits his family in Manchester; Martin Harris confesses that he
lost the translation manuscript (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 10; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:80-84). Lucy
Smith says that Joseph left Harmony “two weeks” after the death of his
infant son (15 June) and “nearly three weeks” after Martin Harris’s de¬
parture (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:118, MS:79).
She says that Joseph stayed in Manchester only one day (1853:122).

Early July 1828 (B)

Joseph returns to Harmony, where the angel takes back the plates and
Joseph loses the seer’s gift for a time (I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1832, 6; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:87). Smith says
that the angel returned the urim and thummim to him “immediately”
upon his return from Manchester and that he received a revelation con¬
demning Harris (D&C 3), then both the plates and urim and thummim
were again taken.

Early July 1828 (C)

Joseph’s history says that the plates were returned to him after “a few days”
(LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 10). However, Lucy Smith
claimed that they were returned to him on 22 September 1828 (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:89, 94, 1853:125), while David
Whitmer said they were returned after three months (VI.A.30, DAVID
WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH J. M. HUBBLE, NOV 1886, 5). Jo¬
seph says that he “did not however go immediately to translating, but
went to laboring with my hands upon a small farm ... in order to provide
for my family.” Still, by the time Lucy and Joseph Sr. visited in early Sep¬
tember (see Circa early September 1828), some translation had been
done, with Emma as scribe.

12 July 1828

Joseph Sr. is credited 87 cents to his account with Cains Robinson (III.L.5,
GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-
1830).

19 July 1828

Joseph Sr. incurs a $1.75 debt with Cains Robinson for painting mate¬
rials (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT
BOOKS, 1820-1830).

20 July 1828

Lemuel Durfee credits Joseph Sr. and Samuel Smith for work binding

410

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

wheat, noting that William worked one day and Samuel three (III.L. 10,
LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

22 July 1828

Joseph Sr. incurs a $2.00 debt with Cains Robinson for painting materi¬
als for his “son” (Hyrum?) (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROB¬
INSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

Circa July 1828

Hyrum tells Orlando and Lorenzo Saunders that it is his last time to work
in the fields since he will be taking up Mormonism andjoseph will be the
richest man in the country (III.B.15, LORENZO SAUNDERS IN¬
TERVIEW, 12 NOV 1884, 5).

7 August 1828

Lemuel Durfee notes that Rockwell—probably Orin, father of Orrin
Porter Rockwell—mowed two days and Samuel Smith three days (III.L. 10,
LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829).

20 August 1828

Joseph Sr. incurs a 50-cent debt with Cains Robinson for painting mate¬
rials (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT
BOOKS, 1820-1830).

Circa early September 1828

Joseph Sr. and Lucy Smith visit Joseph Jr. and Emma in Harmony (PA).
Lucy says that this visit occurred about two months afterjosephjr.’s visit
to Manchester in early July and shortly after the plates were returned to
Joseph, which she believed happened on 22 September 1828 (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:86-87). Circumstantial evidence
suggests that Lucy returned to Manchester in early September (see Circa
11 September 1828).

Circa September 1828

The Presbyterian records indicate that as of March 1830, Lucy, Hyrum,
and Samuel had been inactive at least eighteen months, circa September
1828 (III.L.20, PALMYRA [NY] PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH RE¬
CORDS, MAR 1830).

Circa 11 September 1828

This is the probable date for Lucy’s andjoseph Sr.’s return to Manches¬
ter. Lucy says that upon their return, they found Samuel and Sophronia
“very sick” (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,MS:90). tfjoseph
Sr.’s purchase of medicine for Samuel relates to Lucy’s account, then

411

APPENDIX B

their return to Manchester pre-dates 11 September 1828 (see below).
Lucy reports that soon after their return, Oliver Cowdery came to live
with them (ibid., 1853:128).

11 September 1828

Joseph Sr. incurs a 15-cent debt with Gain Robinson for medicine for
his son Samuel (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON AC¬
COUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

Circa December 1828 (A)

The Harmony land assessment for 1829 is taken (V.E.4, HARMONY [PA]
ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1828-1831; V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH
HARMONY [PA] LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833). For the first time,
Joseph Jr. is assessed $14 for one acre of first-rate, $48 for six acres of sec¬
ond-rate, and $24 for six acres of third-rate improved land. Although the
entire thirteen-acre farm was considered improved, the owner had only
one acre under cultivation. Joseph’s house was assessed at $10 and his
cow at $9. The initial appraisal totaled $105, but someone evidendy ques¬
tioned this, and it was subsequently raised to $263. This action transferred
six acres of third-rate improved and thirty-four acres of unimproved land,
assessed at $150, from Isaac Hale’s assessment to Smith’s.

Circa December 1828 (B)

Joseph Jr. leaves Harmony (PA) to visit Joseph Knight in Colesville (NY)
to ask for financial help. According to Knight, this occurred the “first of
the winter 1828” (IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE,
CIRCA 1835-1847, 5).

1 January 1829

Joseph Sr. is credited 37 cents to his account with Gain Robinson (III.L.5,
GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-
1830).

January/February 1829

Joseph Sr. and Abraham Fish incur a $37.50 debt with Lemuel Durfee
(III.L.18, LEMUEL DURFEE PROBATE PAPERS, 1830).

February 1829

On way to Harmony, Joseph Sr. and Samuel Smith stop in Colesville (NY)
to see Joseph Knight, who takes them the rest of the way in his sleigh.
Knight gives Joseph Sr. fifty cents andjoseph Jr. an unspecified amount
of money for writing paper (IV. A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMI¬
NISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 5). Joseph Jr. receives a revelation

412

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

(D&C 4) for his father (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,11).
Joseph Knight acts as a juror at a series of Chenango, Broome County (NY)
trials, 10-11 February 1829 (Israel Dwight vs. Kelsus Heath, Ebenezer B.
Green vs. Mathinsalim Hasbroack, and Mathinsalim Hasbroack vs. Jona¬
than Ogden, Judicial Records, Broome County Historical Society, Bing¬
hamton, New York).

Circa February-March 1829

Emma Smith and her brother-in-law Samuel Smith act as scribes for Jo¬
seph (I.A.7, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1832, 6; I.F.3, EMMA
SMITH BIDAMON INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH SMITH III, FEB
1879, 1:289). A revelation (D&C 5:30) indicates that some translating had
been done previously in March 1829 (see Mid-late March 1829).

11 March 1829

Hyrum Smith incurs a 50-cent debt with Gain Robinson for medicine
and a visit (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON AC¬
COUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830; see also 25 March 1829).

Circa mid-March 1829

Lucy Harris brings suit against Joseph Jr. at Lyons (NY), during which
Martin Harris and others testify. Case dismissed (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS: 95-97; III.F.15, MARTIN HARRIS TESTI¬
MONY, 8 SEP 1870). Martin Harris said that the trial was held in “March
[1829]” prior to his trip to Harmony with a Mr. Rogers later the same
month. Lucy Smith misdates this event to about August 1829 but clearly
places it in a setting prior to Joseph’s move to Fayette about the end of
May 1829.

Mid-late March 1829

Martin Harris visits Joseph Smith in Harmony (PA) with a Mr. Rogers
from Waterloo and requests to see the plates (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839,11-13; III.F.15, MARTIN HARRIS TESTIMONY,
4 SEP 1870; V.A.l, ISAAC HALE STATEMENT, 1834). Smith receives
a revelation (D&C 5) for Harris, which mentions the translation being
done at that time, including: “when thou hast translated a few more pages
thou shalt stop for a season” (D&C 5:30).

25 March 1829

Hyrum Smith incurs a 75-cent debt with Gain Robinson for medicine
and a visit to his sick wife (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND CAINS C. ROBIN¬
SON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

413

APPENDIX B

26 March 1829

Hyrum Smith incurs a 25-cent debt with Gain Robinson (III.L.5, GAIN
C. AND CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

Late March 1829

Joseph Knight and his wife visit the Smiths in Harmony (PA) in the “Last
of March [1829]” (IV. A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE,
CIRCA 1835-1847, 5).

Circa 1 April 1829

Oliver Cowdery and Samuel Smith leave Manchester for Harmony (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:93). After their departure, the
Smiths move from the frame house to the log cabin with Hyrum and his
family. Apparently the Smiths’ two-year lease with Lemuel Durfee had
expired and was not renewed (see Circa 1 April 1827).

2-3 April 1829

Oliver Cowdery and Samuel Smith visit the Whitmers in Fayette (NY).
Cowdery had met David Whitmer while the latter was visiting Palmyra
in 1828. Before leaving, Cowdery promised to write the Whitmers from
Harmony (VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH OR¬
SON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; VI. A. 12,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITYJOUR¬
NAL, 1JUN 1881).

5 April 1829

Oliver Cowdery and Samuel Smith arrive in Harmony near sunset on a
Sunday (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 13; III.G.6, OL¬
IVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834,14).

6 April 1829

Oliver Cowdery helps Joseph Smith with “arranging some business of a
temporal nature” (III.G.6, OLIVER COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS,
7 SEP 1834,14). Joseph signs a land agreement with Isaac Hale, with Ol¬
iver Cowdery and Samuel Smith acting as witnesses. Joseph agrees to pay
Hale a total of $200 for the property—$114 by 1 May 1829 and $86 on 1
May 1830—and makes a down-payment of $64 (V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH
HARMONY [PAJ LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833).

7 April 1829

Joseph Smith commences translation with Oliver Cowdery as scribe
(I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 13-15; III.G.6, OLIVER
COWDERY TO W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834, 14).

414

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

Early-mid April 1829

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 6) for Oliver Cowdery in
which Cowdery’s private thoughts are apparently revealed. Smith says
that D&C 6 was received after “having continued [translating] for some
time” (LA. 15 JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 13). The revelation
itself implies that the translation had already begun: “the words or the
work which thou hast been writing are true” (D&C 6:17).

Early-mid April 1829

Oliver Cowdery writes to David Whitmer soon after his arrival in Har¬
mony (PA) and mentions that Smith was able to read his private thoughts
(VI. A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT
AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER
INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITYJOURNAL, 1JUN 1881).

Mid-late April 1829

Through revelation (D&C 7), Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery settle a
dispute about the ancient apostle John (I. A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 15-16).

Late April 1829

Oliver Cowdery seeks the gift of translation, and “[wjhilst continuing
the work of translation during the month of April,” Smith receives two
revelations encouraging him (D&C 8, 9). Cowdery fails in his attempt
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 16-17).

27 April 1829

Joseph Smith pays Isaac Hale $50 toward purchase of the Harmony land,
fulfilling the requirement to pay $114 by 1 May 1829 (V.E.5, JOSEPH
SMITH HARMONY [PA] LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833).

Late April/early May 1829

Oliver Cowdery writes a second letter to David Whitmer, this time quot¬
ing a few fines of the translation (VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITYJOURNAL, 1 JUN 1881).

15 May 1829

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery baptize one another in the Susque¬
hanna River. Smith and Cowdery later say that their baptisms were pre¬
ceded by angelic ordination (e.g., III.G.6, OLIVER COWDERY TO
W. W. PHELPS, 7 SEP 1834, 15-16), and Smith identifies the angel as
John the Baptist P&C 27:8; I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
17-18). Cowdery says their baptisms took place “[a]fter writing the ac-

415

APPENDIX B

count given of the Savior’s ministry to the remnant of the seed ofjacob,
upon this continent [i.e., 3 Nephi 11-28].” Lucy Smith mentions only
that Smith and Cowdery were commanded through the stone to bap¬
tize one another (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:94),
and David Whitmer and Wilham E. McLellin said they knew nothing
about angelic ordinations until about 1834 (VI.A.24, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH ZENAS H. GURLEY, 14 JAN 1885;
VI.A.F.10, WILLIAM E. MCLELLIN TO JOSEPH SMITH III, JUL
7 SEP 1872).

25 May 1829

Samuel Smith visits Harmony (he may have never left) and is baptized
on 25 May 1829 (LA. 15,JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,19). Lucy
Smith says that Samuel was baptized on the same day as Joseph and Oli¬
ver, 15 May (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:94). Soon
after, Samuel returns to Manchester (NY).

Late May 1829 (A)

Joseph Knight visits Harmony (PA) with supplies. Smith receives a rev¬
elation (D&C 12) for Knight (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 20-21; IV.A.l, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE,
CIRCA 1835-1847, 6). The visit, according to Smith’s history, oc¬
curred “about the same time” as Hyrum’s visit (see below); however,
Knight does not mention Hyrum but states that Samuel was living with
Smith.

Late May 1829 (B)

Hyrum Smith visits Harmony (PA) “not many days” after Samuel’s
baptism andjoseph receives a revelation (D&C 11) for him (I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,19-20). Hyrum leaves without being
baptized.

Late May 1829 (C)

Joseph receives a revelation (D&C 10) concerning the lost portion of the
translation (May 1829, according to the heading in the Book of Com¬
mandments). This revelation is believed to have been received as Smith
prepared to move to Fayette (NY), where he apparently began dictating
the opening portions of the Book of First Nephi.

Late May 1829 (D)

Cowdery writes a third letter from Harmony (PA) requesting David
Whitmer’s assistance in moving to Fayette (VI.A.12, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1 JUN

416

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

1881; VI.A.17, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH JAMES
H. HART, 21 AUG 1883 & 10 MAR 1884).

Circa 1 June 1829

David Whitmer arrives in Harmony (PA) to escort Smith and Cowdery to
his father’s farm in Fayette (NY) (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 21-22; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS: 100). Whit¬
mer says he first met Smith in June 1829 (VI.A.14, DAVID WHITMER
INTERVIEW WITH CHICAGO TIMES, 14 OCT 1881), which is
corroborated by Smith, who says it was in the “beginning of the month of
June” (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 21).

Circa 4 June 1829

David Whitmer, Joseph Smith, and Oliver Cowdery arrive at the Peter
Whitmer, Sr., farm in Fayette (NY), where the remainder of the trans¬
lation is completed. Whitmer said it was a two-and-a-half-day trip and
that they arrived “sometime in June 1829” (VI. A.29, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH OMAHA [NE] HERALD , 10 OCT
1886; VI.A.24, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH ZENAS
H. GURLEY, 14 JAN 1885, 2). If Whitmer met Smith in June (see
above), the earliest possible arrival date is the 4th. Whitmer said Emma
Smith followed her husband to Fayette “a short time after” (VI.A.17,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEWS WITH JAMES H. HART, 21
AUG 1883 Sc 10 MAR 1884).

Circa 5 June 1829

The translation is recommenced the day after Smith’s arrival in Fayette
(NY). David Whitmer said this was about 1 June 1829, but this was ap¬
parently an approximation since he also said he first met Smith in June
(VI.A. 12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY
JOURNAL, 1JUN 1881; VI.A.14, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH CHICAGO TIMES, 14 OCT 1881). Besides Oliver Cowdery,
John and Christian Whitmer are said to have served as scribes for Smith
(e.g., VI.A.14, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH CHICA¬
GO TIMES, 14 OCT 1881; I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839,22).

Circa 5-8 June 1829 (A)

David, John, and Peter Whitmer receive revelations (D&C 14, 15, and
16) through Joseph Smith (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
22-23). This would have occurred after Smith’s arrival and before appli¬
cation was made for the Book of Mormon copyright (see 11 June 1829),
but probably within a few days.

417

APPENDIX B

Circa 5-8 June 1829 (B)

Joseph Smith baptizes Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer, and Cowdery
baptizes Peter Whitmer, Jr., in Seneca Lake (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 23). Whitmer says he was baptized, confirmed, and
ordained an elder in June 1829 (VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, AD¬
DRESS, 1887, 32). It seems likely that these baptisms would have oc¬
curred shortly after Smith’s arrival, although David Whitmer said he was
baptized in the “middle of June 1829” (see VI.A.31, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 2 JAN 1887).
John Whitmer may have been baptized at this time (see L. Cook 1981,
25).

Circa 9-10 June 1829

Joseph Jr., and possibly others, arrive in Manchester (NY) to negotiate
and arrange for the printing of the Book of Mormon (I. A. 15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 34). Joseph Smith and Martin Harris visit
Grandin’s printing establishment. Grandin declines their first proposal
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 26, 34; III.H.8, JOHN H.
GILBERT STATEMENT, 23 OCT 1887; III.H.10, JOHN H. GIL¬
BERT MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP 1892). Smith then seeks a printer in
Rochester, visiting anti-Masonic editor Thurlow Weed who also declines
the offer (III.K.17, THURLOW WEED REMINISCENCES, 1854,
1858, 1880, & 1884). According to Pomeroy Tucker, Smith’s application
to Weed occurred “immediately” after the visit to Grandin (III. J.8,
POMEROY TUCKER ACCOUNT, 1867, 52). A “few days” later,
Smith again visits Weed, bringing Harris with him, but Weed again de¬
clines. Smith apparently also visited Quaker Elihu F. Marshall of Roches¬
ter, who may have given a positive response (III.K.17, THURLOW
WEED REMINISCENCES, 1854, 1858, 1880, & 1884; III.J.5, POM¬
EROY TUCKER REMINISCENCE, 1858). Returning to Grandin’s
office, Harris tells Grandin that the book could be printed in Rochester
should he refuse and then promises to mortgage his farm as collateral for
the publication. Grandin agrees. Assisted by John H. Gilbert, Grandin es¬
timates that the cost of printing 5,000 books will be about $3,000 (III.H.8,
JOHN H. GILBERT STATEMENT, 23 OCT 1887; III.H.10, JOHN
H. GILBERT MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP 1892). Smith’s 1839 history
places these events out of historical sequence after the testimonies of the
three and eight witnesses, which occurred near the end of June 1829.
Gilbert said the negotiations for printing occurred in the “forepart” of
June 1829.

4-17 June 1829

Joseph Smith (probably Sr.) and Rockwell (probably Orin, father of

418

CHRONOLOGY. 1771-1831

Orrin Porter Rockwell) incur a debt of $2.50 for two barrels of cider
(III.L.10, LEMUEL DURFEE ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1827-1829),
perhaps purchased for a gathering at the Smith residence duringjoseph
Jr.’s visit in the early part of the month. Entries before and after indicate
that the charge was recorded between 4 and 17 June 1829.

11 June 1829

The Book of Mormon copyright is secured at the office of Richard R.
Lansing in Utica (NY), perhaps by Joseph Jr. on his return to Fayette
from Palmyra where he had just concluded negotiations with Egbert B.
Grandin to print the Book ofMormon (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 34; III.L.12, BOOK OF MORMON COPYRIGHT,
11 JUN 1829). Smith’s history places this event out of its historical se¬
quence after the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses, which oc¬
curred near the end of June 1829. The history draft reverses the order so
that the copyright is sought after negotiations with the printer are con¬
cluded (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 34, DRAFT:9).

Circa 11-14 June 1829 (A)

Joseph Smith returns to Fayette after obtaining the Book ofMormon
copyright (see 11 June 1829) and shortly before Cowdery writes his let¬
ter to Hyrum Smith on 14 June (see 14 June 1829). The dictation of the
Book ofMormon is resumed, probably not yet as far as 2 Nephi 27:12
which mentions the need for three witnesses.

Circa 11-14 June 1829 (B)

Joseph Smith receives “the word of the Lord ... in the chamber” of Pe¬
ter Whitmer, Sr.’s, house in Fayette (NY) commanding Smith and
Cowdery to ordain one another elders (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 26-27; I.A.21, JOSEPH SMITH TO THE CHURCH,
6 SEP 1842, 936). Smith’s history defers these ordinations until the
church could meet as a body (i.e., 6 April 1830); David Whitmer said he
was ordained an elder byjoseph Smith the “last ofjune [1829]” (VI.A.31,
DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVEN¬
SON, 2 JAN 1887; VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, Address , 1887, 32).

Circa 11-14 June 1829 (C)

In a revelation (D&C 18) received in Fayette (NY), David Whitmer and
Oliver Cowdery are referred to as apostles and are told to name twelve
others to the office of apostle (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 27-29; received on or before Cowdery’s letter of 14 June 1829, L.
Cook 1981, 29).

419

APPENDIX B

14 June 1829

Oliver Cowdery writes from Fayette to Hyrum Smith in Manchester
and expresses his “anxious” feeling about Hyrum’s “steadfastness” in his
calling (D&C 11). He thanks Mrs. Rockwell for shoes, instructs Hyrum
to prepare the people of Manchester for the gospel, and expresses a de¬
sire to visit Manchester soon (III.G.l, OLIVER COWDERY TO
HYRUM SMITH, 14 JUN 1829). The wording of the letter is influ¬
enced by D&C 18 (see Circa 11-14 June 1829 [C]).

Circa 14-30 June 1829

Oliver Cowdery receives a revelation about building up the church
(III.G.4, OLIVER COWDERY REVELATION, 1829). The exact
date is not given, but it was “Written in the year of our Lord & Saviour
1829.” Since the document seems dependent on D&C 18, the revela¬
tion probably dates to June 1829 or soon thereafter.

17 June 1829

From St. Lawrence County (NY), Joseph Sr.’s oldest brother, Jesse, re¬
sponds to a letter from Hyrum Smith. Jesse expresses disbelief in the story
of the gold plates. According to Jesse, Hyrum’s letter reported that Joseph
Sr. was suffering from a “nervous affection” (I.G.l, JESSE SMITH TO
HYRUM SMITH, 17 JUN 1829). George A. Smith reported that both
Joseph Sr. andjosephjr. had written to Joseph Sr.’s eighty-four-year-old
father, Asael, in the fall of 1828 (I.G.4, GEORGE A. SMITH REMI¬
NISCENCES, CIRCA 1846,1857, & CIRCA 1858).

26 June 1829

The Wayne Sentinel publishes the Book of Mormon title page and men¬
tions that the book will be published as soon as it is finished (III.E.l,
WAYNE SENTINEL, 1824-1836, under 26June 1829).

27 June 1829

Mary, daughter of Hyrum Smith, is bom (L. Smith 1853, 42).

Circa 27 June 1829

Lucy Smith says that when the translation of the Book of Mormon was
completed, she went with her husband and Martin Harris to Fayette
(I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:100). However, David
Whitmer says that the three witnesses saw the plates shortly before the
translation was completed (VI.A.18, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH GEORGE Q. CANNON, 27 FEB 1884; see also late
June-1 July 1829).

420

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831
Circa 28 June 1829 (A)

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris express a desire to
become special witnesses to the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith re¬
ceives a revelation (D ScC 17) in Fayette promising them a view of the
plates if they are faithful and explaining their duty to testify to the world
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,23-24).

Circa 28 June 1829 (B)

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris are shown the plates
by an angel (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 24-25; I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:101). David Whitmer said the
event occurred in the “latter part” of June 1829 (VI.A.7, DAVID WHIT¬
MER INTERVIEW WITH ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F.
SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW
WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, 1 JUN 1881; VI.A.33, DAVID
WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 32). Whitmer told Edward Stevenson
that the vision occurred on a “Sunday” about 11:00 a.m., perhaps 28 June
(VI.A.5, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD STE¬
VENSON, 22-23 DEC 1877; and VI.A.27, DAVID WHITMER IN¬
TERVIEW WITH EDWARD STEVENSON, 9 FEB 1886). Whitmer
also said he was shown the plates “shortly before the completion of the
translation when but a few pages left” (VI.A. 18, DAVID WHITMER
INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE Q. CANNON, 27 FEB 1884).

Circa 29 June 1829

Lucy, Joseph Sr., and Martin Harris return to Manchester (NY) “the
next day” after the experience of the three witnesses (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS: 102).

Circa 30 June 1829

According to David Whitmer, the translation is completed by 1 July
1829 (VI.A.12, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KAN¬
SAS CITY JOURNAL, 1 JUN 1881) or in late June (VI.A.33, DAVID
WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 30).

Circa 1-2 July 1829

“[A] few days” after Lucy’s return to Manchester (NY), Joseph Jr., Oli¬
ver Cowdery, and David, John, and Peter Whitmer arrive to make fur¬
ther arrangements with Grandin and Gilbert regarding how the typeset¬
ting and printing of the Book ofMormon would proceed (I.A.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:102).

Circa 2 July 1829

Eight witnesses see the plates in a grove near the Smiths’ Manchester

421

APPENDIX B

(NY) residence. It is unclear if their experience is purely physical or vi¬
sionary (see introduction to III.L.13, TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WIT¬
NESSES, JUN 1829). Lucy says that the event occurred on a Thursday,
perhaps 2July (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:102), and
David Whitmer says it was one or two days after the three witnesses saw
the plates (VI.A.7, DAVID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH OR¬
SON PRATT AND JOSEPH F. SMITH, 7-8 SEP 1878; VI.A.12, DA¬
VID WHITMER INTERVIEW WITH KANSAS CITY JOURNAL,
1 JUN 1881).

Circa 5 July 1829 (A)

At the Smiths’ Manchester cabin on “[t]he evening after the plates ...
were shown to the eight witnesses, a meeting was held, when all the
witnesses, as also Don Carlos bore testimony to the truth of the latter-
day dispensation” (j. Smith 1948, 4:393).

Circa 5 July 1829 (B)

On “the ensuing Monday” after the eight witnesses saw the plates, per¬
haps 6 July, Joseph Jr. in company with Hyrum, Cowdery, and the
Whitmers visited Grandin’s office again regarding the typesetting and
printing of the Book of Mormon (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY,
1845, MS:102-4; I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 34).

Circa 6 July 1829

The “next day,” as Lucy remembers it, the Whitmers return to Fayette
(NY), while Joseph Jr., Cowdery, and Peter Whitmer, Jr., remain in
Palmyra/Manchester to continue overseeing preparations for printing
the Book of Mormon (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:
102-4; 1853: 141).

Circa 8 July 1829

Lucy says that Joseph Jr. returned to Grandin’s office to draw up an
agreement on a “Wednesday,” perhaps 8 July considering the sequence
of events (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:102-4).

August 1829

Preaching begins in August 1829 according to David Whitmer (VI.A.33,
DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS , 1887, 32).

8 August 1829

Lemuel Durfee, the Smith’s landlord, dies (see III.L.4, SMITH MAN¬
CHESTER [NY] LAND RECORDS, 1820-1830).

422

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

Mid-August 1829

Joseph Smith writes the Book of Mormon preface (III.L.16, BOOK OF
MORMON PREFACE, 1829), with reference for the first time to an
exact page count for “116 pages” that were lost. Because the printer’s
manuscript is 116 pages for First Nephi through Words of Mormon, the
replacement portion, it can be assumed that the number 116 came from
the printer’s manuscript rather than from the original manuscript. It was
an approximation, in other words—an assumption that the original
manuscript occupied about the same number of pages for the same pe¬
riod covered. It can be further assumed that Oliver Cowdery would have
copied at least 116 pages of the manuscript for the printer before the pref¬
ace was written. Cowdery probably began copying the manuscript near
the beginning of July and apparently reached Alma 36 by 6 November
1829 (see III.G.2, OLIVER COWDERY TO JOSEPH SMITH, 6
NOV 1829). Averaging the number of pages per day, he would have
copied 116 pages by about the beginning of August. Thus, since the first
signature included the preface (see below), Joseph Smith probably wrote
the preface shortly before the printer began setting type in mid-or late-
August. 12

25 August 1829

Martin Harris mortgages his farm to Egbert B. Grandin (III.L.14,
MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25 AUG 1829).

25-31 August 1829

The printing of the Book of Mormon begins, according to John H.
Gilbert, “about the middle of August, 1829” (III.H.2, JOHN H.
GILBERT TO JAMES T. COBB, 10 FEB 1879, 1; see also III.H.10,
JOHN H. GILBERT MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP 1892, 3); however,
it is also likely that it began only after Harris signed the mortgage on 25
August 1829.

12. Royal Skousen has reported that the recently restored fragments from
the original (not printer’s) manuscript for Jacob 6 through Enos 1 are numbered
111 through 114 (Skousen 1992, 22). Since the corresponding pages from the
printer’s manuscript are numbered 107 through 111, it is unlikely that the
Words of Mormon in the original manuscript concluded on page 116. Cowdery
required five more pages, even in his condensed script, to bring the printer’s
manuscript from this point to the end of the Words ofMonnon. These five pages
alone would have brought the original manuscript to page 119 or 120 (see also
Metcalfe 1993, 395, n. 1).

423

APPENDIX B

31 August 1829

Isaac Hussee and Peter Harris take an oath to appraise Lemuel Durfee’s
personal property. Their inventory of Durfee’s estate lists an unpaid note
byjoseph Smith, Sr., and Abraham Fish for $37.50, plus $1.42 interest, a
total of$38.92 (III.L.19, NATHAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830).

Late August-early September 1829

Egbert B. Grandin and Thomas McAuley begin printing the Book of
Mormon (III.H.10 JOHN H. GILBERT MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP
1892, 4). Joseph Smith, Sr., Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, Martin
Harris, and Stephen S. Harding are in Grandin’s office when the title
page is printed (III.J.15, STEPHEN S. HARDING TO THOMAS GREGG,
FEB 1882, 52).

September 1829

Stephen S. Harding leaves Palmyra for the West, taking with him the first
printed Book of Mormon title page. Harris and Cowdery accompany
him to Rochester (III.J.15, STEPFIEN S. HARDING TO THOMAS
GREGG, FEB 1882, 49-50).

Late September 1829

Smith leaves Manchester (see 4 October 1829), Cowdery and Peter
Whitmer, Jr., remaining behind to prepare the printer’s copy of the Book
of Mormon manuscript.

1-4 October 1829

On his return to Pennsylvania, Smith buys a horse from Josiah Stowell
in South Bainbridge (NY) (I.A.l, JOSEPH SMITH TO OLIVER
COWDERY, 22 OCT 1829,1).

4 October 1829

Joseph arrives in Harmony (I.A.l, JOSEPH SMITH TO OLIVER
COWDERY, 22 OCT 1829,1).

8 October 1829

Oliver Cowdery purchases a large Bible from Grandin’s book store in
Palmyra for $3.75. It will later be used byjoseph Smith in his revision of
the Bible (III.L. 15, JOSEPH SMITH AND OLIVER COWDERY
BIBLE INSCRIPTION, 8 OCT 1829).

22 October 1829

Joseph Smith writes from Harmony (PA) to Oliver Cowdery in Man¬
chester (NY) mentioning that he bought a horse from Josiah Stowell and

424

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

requesting that someone come and pick it up (see early October 1829).
He also reports that Stowell is planning to purchase $500 or $600 worth
of Book of Mormon inventory when published (I.A.l, JOSEPH SMITH
TO OLIVER COWDERY, 22 OCT 1829).

25 October 1829

Oliver Cowdery receives a letter from Thomas Marsh, a Massachusetts
businessman who had recently visited Palmyra and discussed the Book of
Mormon with Cowdery and others (III.G.2, OLIVER COWDERY TO
JOSEPH SMITH, 6 NOV 1829, 8).

Circa 26-31 October 1829

Hyrum Smith and Martin Harris visit Fayette (NY), as mentioned in a
letter to Joseph Smith from Oliver Cowdery (III.G.2, OLIVER COW¬
DERY TO JOSEPH SMITH, 6 NOV 1829, 8).

Circa October/November 1829

Lucy Smith is visited by three men who, she says, were conspiring to
destroy the Book ofMormon manuscript (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:105-110). Her account apparently conflates infor¬
mation belonging to a March 1830 visit from a Presbyterian committee
appointed to investigate the Smiths’ lack of attendance (see 10 March
1830).

6 November 1829

Oliver Cowdery writes from Manchester (NY) to Joseph Smith in Har¬
mony (PA) that Martin Harris may pick up Smith’s horse in 2-3 weeks,
that the printing of Book of Mormon is progressing slowly, that Grandin
has had trouble getting new type but that the printing should be finished
by 1 February 1830; also that the manuscript has been copied as far as Al¬
ma 36 (III.G.2, OLIVER COWDERY TO JOSEPH SMITH, 6 NOV
1829).

9 December 1829

Abner Cole’s Palmyra Reflector announces that it will publish selections
from the Book ofMormon in future editions (see introduction to III.E.3,
PALMYRA REFLECTOR, 1829-1831). The Reflector wss an anony¬
mously published paper that made fun of local issues. Its debut edition
appeared on 2 September 1829.

Circa 27 December 1829

Hyrum Smith and Oliver Cowdery discover Abner Cole in Grandin’s
print shop on a Sunday planning to publish extracts from the Book of

425

APPENDIX B

Mormon (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:111). It is de¬
cided thatjoseph Sr. should go to Harmony to getjosephjr. (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:112; III.G.3, OLIVER COWDERY
TO JOSEPH SMITH, 28 DEC 1829). This event occurred before
Cowdery wrote his letter of 28 December (see 28 December 1829) and,
at the earliest, on 6 December when Cole set the type for the 9 Decem¬
ber issue of the Reflector, in which he promised to publish excerpts from
the Book of Mormon. Cole published two more issues of his paper be¬
fore including a Book of Mormon extract (1 Nephi 1:1-2:3) in the 2
January issue. He probably set the type for this issue on Sunday, 27 De¬
cember, which is the most likely date of his confrontation with Hyrum.
Extracts from the Book of Mormon continued to appear in the Reflector
on 13 and 22 January 1830.

28 December 1829

Oliver Cowdery writes from Manchester (NY) to inform Joseph Jr. in
Harmony (PA) that his father, Joseph Sr., will be coming to see him “di¬
rectly,” presumably as a result of the Cole difficulty (see above). Mean¬
while, Cowdery is helping with the printing, perhaps setting type
(III.G.3, OLIVER COWDERY TO JOSEPH SMITH, 28 DEC 1829;
see also III.H.2, JOHN H. GILBERT TO JAMES T. COBB, 10 FEB
1879). The fact that Cole published Book of Mormon extracts in three
issues of the Reflector (2, 13, and 22 January) may indicate that there was a
delay injoseph Sr.’s departure (see circa 20January 1830).

Late December 1829

The typesetting is finished about the end of December, according to John
H. Gilbert (III.H.10, JOHN H. GILBERT MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP
1892,3,4).

Circa January 1830

The Harmony (PA) land assessment is made (V.E.4, HARMONY [PA]
ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1828-1831; V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH
HARMONY [PA] LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833). Joseph Jr. is as¬
sessed $14 for one acre of first-rate, $48 for six acres of second-rate, and
$24 for six acres of third-rate improved land. He is assessed $10 for his
house and $17 for two cows. The total assessment is $113. The $150 that
was added in 1829 is transferred back to Isaac Hale.

2 January 1830

Abner Cole publishes the text of 1 Nephi 1:1-2:3 (see introduction to

426

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR, 1829-1831). Cole probably set type
for this issue on 27 December 1829 (see above).

13 January 1830

Abner Cole publishes 1 Nephi 2:4-15 (see introduction to III.E.3, PAL¬
MYRA REFLECTOR, 1829-1831), probably setting type on 10 Janu¬
ary 1830.

16 January 1830 (A)

Joseph Smith, Sr., agrees to divide the revenue from Book of Mormon
sales with Martin Harris (III.L.17, JOSEPH SMITH, SR., AND MAR¬
TIN HARRIS AGREEMENT, 16 JAN 1830). Oliver Cowdery signs
as a witness. Harris assumed that he would pay Grandin $3,000 by 25
February 1831 (perhaps extended due to a delay in production) by selling
half of the print run at $1.25 per book. According to the new arrange¬
ment, the entire print run would have to sell at that price in order to pay
the debt.

16 January 1830 (B)

Joseph Sr. pays a 75-cent debt to Michael Eggleston, although indirectly
by giving the money to an Eggleston creditor (III.L.5, GAIN C. AND
CAINS C. ROBINSON ACCOUNT BOOKS, 1820-1830).

19 January 1830

Lemuel Durfee, Jr., enters a plea before Justice Nathan Pierce for judge¬
ment against Joseph Smith, Sr., and Abraham Fish for $39.92, both of
whom sign a consent for the judge to enter judgement against them
(III.L.19, NATHAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830).

Circa 20 January 1830

Joseph Sr., leaves for Harmony (PA) to bring Joseph Jr. back to Pal¬
myra/Manchester to settle the problem with Abner Cole (I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:112). In order to return to Manchester
on 24 January, the probable date ofjosephJr.’s confrontation with Cole
(see circa 24 January 1830), Joseph Sr. would have had to leave by 20
January for the four- or five-day round trip. Joseph Sr.’s departure from
Manchester was evidently delayed (see 28 December 1829), allowing
Cole to publish three extracts from the Book of Mormon on 2, 13, and
22 January 1830. Three possible reasons for the delay are: (1) weather
conditions; (2) Joseph Sr.’s appearance before Justice Nathan Pierce on
19January (see 19January 1839); and (3) the possible reception ofalet-
ter from Joseph Jr. requesting a delay.

427

APPENDIX B

22 January 1830

Abner Cole publishes Alma 43:22-40 (see introduction to III.E.3, PAL¬
MYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831). The jump from Nephi to Alma
might indicate that through Hyrum’s initiative, Grandin removed the
uncut sheets of the Book of Mormon from his shop and Cole only had
what Gilbert was currently typesetting or printing to draw from. Cole
probably set type for this issue on Sunday, 17 January 1830.

Circa 24 January 1830

Joseph Sr. returns with Joseph Jr. to Palmyra/Manchester, perhaps also
accompanied byjosiah Stowell andjoseph Knight (see circa 24January-
February 1830). Joseph Jr. visits Grandin’s business and confronts Cole,
evidently on Sunday (24 January); Lucy says “the same night” of his ar¬
rival (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:111-13). The last
extract of the Book of Mormon had just appeared in the Reflector on 22
January 1830 (Friday); it therefore seems likely that the Smith-Cole
confrontation occurred the following Sunday. If Lucy is correct that this
happened the “same night” of Smith’s arrival, then the previous Sunday
(17 January) is ruled out because Joseph Sr. could not have been present
the previous day to sign the agreement with Martin Harris (see 16 Janu¬
ary 1830).

Circa 24 January-February 1830

Joseph Smith receives a revelation directing Oliver Cowdery and Hiram
Page to sell the Book of Mormon copyright in Canada. Page says that he,
Cowdery, Joseph Knight, andjosiah Stowell made the trip to Kingston,
Ontario, Canada, but were unsuccessful in their mission. David Whit-
mer remembered that Joseph Jr. was at the Whitmer residence in Fayette
when the group returned (VI.A.29, DAVID WHITMER INTER¬
VIEW WITH OMAHA [NE] HERALD , 10 OCT 1886; VI.A.33,
DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 31; VI.C.2, HIRAM PAGE
TO WILLIAM MCLELLIN, 2 FEB 1848). According to another
source, the men left “early in 1830” and “went over on ice” (VI.A.F.12,
J. L. TRAUGHBER TO [JAMES T. COBB?], CIRCA 1879). Because
Page said the revelation was received in Manchester, it was probably dic¬
tated during Smith’s January 1830 visit (see circa 24January 1830).

29 January 1830

Martin Harris and Richard Sweet are sued by Abner F. Lakey and James
S. Stoddard for a $300 debt (Common Pleas Book, Wayne County
Court House, Lyons, New York).

428

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

10 March 1830

A Presbyterian committee reports that Lucy, Hyrum, and Samuel Smith
acknowledged that they had “entirely neglected the ordinances of the
church for the last eighteen months and that they did not wish to unite
with us any more” (III.L.20, PALMYRA [NY] PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH RECORDS, MAR 1830; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:105-110).

Mid-March 1830

The printing of the Book of Mormon is finished (III.B.8, JOHN H.
GILBERT INTERVIEW, 1881; III.H.2, JOHN H. GILBERT TO
JAMES T. COBB, 10 FEB 1879, 11; III.H.8, JOHN H. GILBERT
TO JAMES T. COBB, 23 OCT 1887; III.H.10, JOHN H. GILBERT
MEMORANDUM, 8 SEP 1892). The binding begins about this time.

19 March 1830

The Wayne Sentinel announces that copies of the Book of Mormon will
be ready for sale “in the course of next week” (III.E.l, WAYNE SENTI¬
NEL, 1824-1836, under 19 March 1830).

22 March 1830

Eunice, daughter of Calvin and Sophronia Stoddard, is born (L. Smith
1853,43).

26 March 1830

The Wayne Sentinel announces that the Book of Mormon is for sale at the
Palmyra bookstore (III.E.l, WAYNE SENTINEL, 1824-1836, under
26 March 1830). However, the entire first edition will not be completed
until early summer 1830 (III.J.8, POMEROY TUCKER ACCOUNT,
1867, 53).

26-31 March 1830 (A)

Joseph Knight takes Joseph Jr. to Manchester (NY) and sees Harris car¬
rying several copies of the Book of Mormon. Harris complains that the
books are not selling. Knight stays a few days waiting for more books to
be bound (IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE,
CIRCA 1835-1847, 6). Smith evidently arrived when the first books
were completed, probably between 26-31 March.

26-31 March 1830 (B)

Smith receives a revelation (D&C 19) in Manchester (NY) for Martin
Harris, commanding him to sell his property to finance the printing of
the Book of Mormon (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,

429

APPENDIX B

35-36; IV.A. 1 JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA
1835-1847, 6). This revelation was probably received within a few days
of Smith’s arrival in Manchester.

26 March-6 April 1830

Joseph Smith gives his seer stone to Oliver Cowdery in the spring of
1830 before organization of the church on 6 April, according to David
Whitmer (VI.A.33, DAVID WHITMER, ADDRESS, 1887, 32).
However, there is evidence that Smith would use it after this period.

29 March 1830

David Marks visits the Whitmers in Fayette (NY) and speaks with some
of the Book of Mormon witnesses (VI.F.l, DAVID MARKS AC¬
COUNT, 1831). Joseph Smith is evidently not present, still in Manches¬
ter with Joseph Knight (see 26-31 March 1830).

6 April 1830

The church is organized in Manchester (NY) (see I.A. 15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, n. 82). Joseph Sr. and Martin Harris are bap¬
tized by Oliver Cowdery in the evening (ibid., 38, DRAFT:9; IV.A.l,
JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 7;
see also circa 8/9 April 1830). The first church conference is appointed
for 1 June 1830—eventually held on 9 June (see I.A. 15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, DRAFT: 14).

7 April 1830

Hyrum Smith incurs a debt of $20.07 with Levi Daggett of Palmyra
(III.L.19, NATHAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830).

Circa 8/9 April 1830

While both the history draft and 1839 history date Lucy Smith’s and Sa¬
rah Rockwell’s baptisms to 6 April 1830, a note in the draft says that the
two women were baptized “2 or 3 days afterward” (I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 37, DRAFT:9-10).

11 April 1830

Oliver Cowdery preaches his first sermon in Fayette on Sunday, 11 April
1830, and baptizes Hiram and Katharine Page and Christian, Anne, Ja¬
cob, and Elizabeth Whitmer (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 39). The history draft adds the baptism of Mary Page, of whom
nothing is known (DRAFT: 11).

16 April 1830

Joseph Smith dictates a revelation (D&C 22) “in consequence of some

430

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

desiring to unite with the church without re-baptism, who had previ¬
ously been baptized” (Book of Commandments XXIII, heading). Wil¬
liam E. McLellin’s early copy of the revelation bears the date 16 April
1830 (Manuscript Revelations, William E. McLellin Collection, LDS
Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah). This revelation therefore may
have pertained to those who submitted to baptism on 18 April 1830 (see
below).

18 April 1830

Oliver Cowdery baptizes Peter Sr., Mary, and Elizabeth Ann Whitmer,
William, Elizabeth, and Vincent Jolly, and Ziba Peterson in Seneca Lake
on Sunday, 18 April 1830 (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
39).

Circa 19 April 1830

Willard Chase asks Hyrum Smith to return the seer stone. Martin Harris
is present. Chase says that Hyrum was indignant and shook his fist at him
(III.A.14, WILLARD CHASE STATEMENT, CIRCA 11 DEC 1833,
247). On 19 April 1830, Abner Cole published a note, perhaps written
by Chase, warning Hyrum “not to be quite so impertinent, when decent
folks denounce the imposition of the ‘Gold Bible’” (III.E.3, PALMYRA
REFLECTOR , 1829-1831, under 19 April 1830).

Circa late April 1830

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery visit the Knight family in Colesville
(NY). During a meeting, Smith casts a devil out of Newel Knight (e.g.,
I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,39-41; III.E.3, PALMYRA
REFLECTOR, 1829-1831, under 30 June 1830). Joseph Smith’s history
draft originally dated the exorcism to June 1830, after the conference of 9
June (DRAFT:! 1), but this and associated errors were corrected, proba¬
bly with the assistance of Knight himself. Smith mentioned that Knight
assisted him in writing his history on 4-5 July 1839 (see Faulring 1987,
238). Knight follows Smith’s history in dating his exorcism to April 1830
(IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846,
49-50).

1 May 1830

Smith fails to make the final payment of $86 to Isaac Hale for his land in
Harmony (V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH HARMONY [PA] LAND RE¬
CORDS, 1828-1833).

Circa 2 May 1830

Joseph Sr.’s brother Samuel dies in St. Lawrence County (NY) (Ander¬
son 1984, 555, n. 127).

431

APPENDIX B

7 May 1830

Justice Nathan Pierce issues a judgement against Joseph Sr. and Abraham
Fish in the case of Lemuel Durfee’s estate (III.L. 19, NATHAN PIERCE
DOCKET BOOK, 1830; see 19 January 1830).

Circa May 1830

Joseph Smith visits Fayette (NY) and meets with local opposition (I. A. 15,
JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 41).

Late May 1830

Newel Knight visits Joseph Smith in Fayette and is baptized by David
Whitmer (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 41).

1 June 1830

Abner Cole announces that Cowdery—“the apostle to the NEPHITES”
—has left for the east (III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831,
under 1 June 1830). He is probably on his way to the church conference
in Fayette (see 9 June 1830).

8 June 1830

Justice Nathan Pierce issues a summons for Hyrum Smith to appear in
the case of Levi Daggett (see 28 June 1830).

9 June 1830

The first church conference is held at the Peter Whitmer, Sr., home in
Fayette (NY). There are twenty-seven members of the church at this
time. Samuel Smith is ordained an elder; Joseph Sr. and Hyrum Smith
are ordained priests. The meeting is adjourned and another appointed
to be held on 26 September 1830 (see I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 41; VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN 1830, 26
SEP 1830 Sc 2JAN 1831).

9/10 June 1830

David Whitmer baptizes the following people in Seneca Lake: John Poor-
man, John, Julia, and Harriot Jolly, Jerusha, Katharine, William, and Don
C. Smith, Orrin P., Caroline, and Electa Rockwell (I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 42; I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ON MOR-
MONISM, 1883, 16 [minus Katharine Smith]). William Smith dated his
baptism to 9 June 1830. A crossed-out portion of Joseph Smith’s history
draft dates this event to 10 June 1830, while the history says “shortly after
this conference” (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 42,
DRAFT:11).

432

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

10/11 June 1830

A prayer meeting is held in Fayette (NY), during which Oliver Cowdery
confirms those who were baptized the previous day. There are various
spiritual manifestations; Newell Knight feels overwhelmed by the Spirit
and faints twice (I.D.4, WILLIAM SMITH, ONMORMONISM, 1883,
16-17). William dates this event to lOJune 1830, but see 9/10June 1830
above.

Circa 13 June 1830

Joseph Smith’s history says that “immediately after conference,” he re¬
turned to Harmony with his wife, Oliver Cowdery, andjohn and David
Whitmer (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 42). While they
were certainly in Harmony by 21 June (see below), “immediately” im¬
plies an earlier arrival.

Circa 13-25 June 1830

Smith begins his revision of Genesis, dictating to Oliver Cowdery the
text ofMoses l:l-5:23a (Old Testament Manuscript #1,1-10, Commu¬
nity of Christ Library-Arc hives, Independence, Missouri.). The heading
of the first chapter reads: “A Revelation given to Joseph the Revelator
June 1830.” An insertion in Smith’s history in the hand of W. W. Phelps
implies that Moses 1 was dictated at Colesville following Smith’s trials,
July 1-3, which conflicts with the date on the manuscript (I.A.15, JO¬
SEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 48, addendum A-l). Both Robert J.
Matthews and D. Michael Quinn have dated it 23-30 June (Matthews
1975, 26-27; Quinn 1994, 23), but I consider Smith’s activities in
Colesville to have been too crowded and distracting for such work.

18 June 1830

Nathan Pierce issues a second summons for Hyrum Smith to appear in
the case of Levi Daggett. The first summons was returned without satis¬
faction (see 28 June 1830).

20 June 1830

According to Abner Cole, Mormons held a “disorderly meeting on
Sunday [20 June] evening at the MARKET” where “one of JO’S greatest
apostles, gave decided tokens of entire approbation [of the lack of deco¬
rum]” (III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831, under 22 June
1830).

21 June 1830 (A)

Constable Harrington is sent to serve a second summons at Hyrum Smith’s

433

APPENDIX B

residence in Manchester (NY), but it is returned without satisfaction on
28 June 1830 (see 28 June 1830).

21 June 1830 (B)

Joseph Smith pays Isaac Hale interest on the balance due for the land in
Harmony (V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH HARMONY [PA] LAND RE¬
CORDS, 1828-1833).

Circa 25 June 1830

Joseph Smith, in company with his wife, Oliver Cowdery, and David
andjohn Whitmer, visits the Colesville (NY) area and appoints a meet-
ingforthe next Sabbath (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
42). Judging by the sequence of events (see below), they probably ar¬
rived on Friday, 25 June 1830.

26 June 1830

On the day following Joseph Smith’s arrival in Colesville (NY), probably
Saturday, 26 June 1830 (see below), a dam is built across a small stream near
the Knight home for baptisms (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 42).

27 June 1830

A meeting held on Sunday, 27 June 1830 (see below), despite local op¬
position and the destruction of the dam built across a stream for baptisms.
The Reverend Sherer attempts to abduct seventeen-year-old Emily Col¬
burn (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 42-43).

28 June 1830

Joseph Sr. represents Hyrum Smith, who is sued by Levi Daggett for
$20.07 (III.L.19, NATHAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830).

28/29 June 1830

On Monday morning (28 June), Emily Colburn’s brother-in-law arrives
in Colesville with power of attorney and takes her back to her brother’s
residence in Sandford, Broome County (NY). The dam across the creek
is replaced and Cowdery baptizes the following persons: Emma Smith,
Hezekiah and Martha Peck, Joseph and Polly Knight and their children
Polly and Joseph Jr., William and Esther Stringham and daughter Julia,
Aaron and Esther Culver, and Levi Hall (I. A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 43). Sally Knight, wife of Newell Knight, is said to have
been baptized on 29 June 1830, but Larry Porter argues that this is an er¬
ror (IV.E.3, SALLYKNIGHT OBITUARY, 1834; Porter 1971,202-3).
A mob of agitated local people gathers.

434

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

30 June 1830

Joseph Smith is arrested by Constable Ebenezer Hatch on Wednesday,
30 June, for being a “disorderly person.” He spends the night in a South
Bainbridge (NY) tavern with the constable by his side (I.A. 15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 44; IV.F.5, EBENEZER HATCH BILL
OF COSTS, 4 JUL 1830). Smith says the arrest took place on a Monday
(28 June), but the Chenango County (NY) records indicate that the trial
was held on a Thursday (1 July), which would mean that the arrest oc¬
curred on Wednesday (IV.F.4, JOSEPH CHAMBERLIN BILL OF
COSTS, 1 JUL 1830). It seems that three days were compressed into one
in Smith’s telling. He remembered that a mob gathered at the baptism of
thirteen people in Colesville, that he and his followers retired to Joseph
Knight’s house, the mob surrounded the house, he and others relocated
to Newel Knight’s residence, the mob followed, and that when he and
his followers “had nearly all collected” for the evening’s confirmation
meeting, he was arrested, after which he and the constable were am¬
bushed by the mob on the way to South Bainbridge. There are several
anomalies in the narrative, including the ease with which Smith and his
followers were able to traverse hostile territory, the apparent omnipres¬
ence of the mob, and an impression that Smith’s followers reassembled
before having dispersed. In fact, the confirmation meeting was probably
canceled due to the neighbors’ interference. In any case, the documen¬
tary evidence is that there were baptisms on Monday and an arrest on
Wednesday. It is also noteworthy that while Smith says it was at Newel
Knight’s that he was arrested, Joseph Knight, Sr., remembered that “the
officer came to my house near night and took him” (IV.A. 1, JOSEPH
KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 8).

Circa 30 June 1830

Samuel Smith leaves Manchester (NY) on a mission, which includes
Livonia (NY), home of Alvah Beaman (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845,1853:152-53).

1 July 1830

Joseph Smith is tried in South Bainbridge (NY) before Justice Joseph
Chamberlin (IV.F.4, JOSEPH CHAMBERLIN BILL OF COSTS, 1
JUL 1830). Joseph Knight, Sr., hires James Davidson and John Reed to
defend Smith. Josiah Stowell testifies concerning the horse he sold to
Smith, for which he has not yet been paid (see 1 -4 October 1829). Smith
is acquitted but is served another warrant and immediately taken to
Colesville, Broome County (NY), where he spends another night with
Constable Ebenezer Hatch (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,

435

APPENDIX B

44- 45; IV.C.6, JOHN S. REED REMINISCENCE, 1844; IV.D.l,
JOHN S. REED TO BRIGHAM YOUNG, 6 DEC 1861; IV.F.5,
EBENEZER HATCH BILL OF COSTS, 4JUL 1830).

2/3 July 1830

Joseph Smith appears before JusticeJoel K. Noble in Colesville (NY) and
is again defended by Davidson and Reed. The trial lasts 23 hours and in¬
volves 43 witnesses (e.g., I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,

45- 47; IV.C.5, JOEL K. NOBLE TO JONATHAN B. TURNER, 8
MAR 1842,2,3; IV.D.l, JOHN S. REED TO BRIGHAM YOUNG,
6 DEC 1861). Newel Knight is examined concerning Smith’s exorcism.
Josiah Stowell and Oliver Cowdery testify (IV.B.2, MARTHA CAMP¬
BELL TO JOSEPH SMITH, 19 DEC 1843; IV.C.2, ABRAM W.
BENTON REMINISCENCE, MAR 1831).

3 July 1830

Joseph Smith escapes and meets his wife at the Colesville home of Eliza¬
beth (Hale) and Benjamin Wasson (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839,47; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 6,
1853:158).

4 July 1830

Joseph and Emma Smith return to Harmony (PA) on Sunday, 4 July
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 47).

5 July 1830

Fifteen acres on Lot No. 1 in Manchester (NY) are taxed to Hyrum
Smith, probably the land on which the Smiths’ Manchester cabin was lo¬
cated (III.L.6, SMITH MANCHESTER [NY] LAND ASSESSMENT
RECORDS, 1821-1823 & 1830).

Early July 1830

A “few days” after the events of 4 July 1830, Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery visit Newel Knight in Colesville (NY) “intending to confirm
those who had been baptized [on 28 June 1830],” but flee from their
enemies and return to Harmony (PA) (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 47-48). On their return to Harmony, Smith and
Cowdery receive a vision of three angels, later identified as Peter, James,
and John (Bushman 1984, 163, 240-41, n. 55). Smith says that the visi¬
tation took place “in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna
county, and Colesville, Broom[e] county, on the Susquehanna River”
(I.A.21, JOSEPH SMITH TO CHURCH, 6 SEP 1842, 936; see also
I.A.29, ADDISON EVERETT ACCOUNTS, 1881 & 1882, which

436

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

links the visitation with events of 3 July 1830). The vision is not con¬
nected to reception of priesthood authority until an 1835 addition to
D&C 27 (see v. 12).

Early-mid July 1830 (A)

Joseph Smith receives revelations (D&C 24, 25, 26) at Harmony
(I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 48-50): "after thou hast
sowed thy fields and secured them, go speedily unto the church which
is in Colesville, Fayette, and Manchester” (24:3). Emma is instructed to
be a scribe for her husband "that I may send my servant, Oliver Cow-
dery, whithersoever I will.” She is also told to "make a selection of sa¬
cred hymns” (25:6, 11). Another revelation instructs Smith, Cowdery,
and John Whitmer about "confirming [members of the] church at
Colesville” and regarding "common consent” (26:1-2).

Early-mid July 1830 (B)

Shortly after receiving the above revelations, Oliver Cowdery is sent to
Fayette while John Whitmer helps Joseph Smith arrange and copy the
revelations. Smith receives a letter from Cowdery complaining about
priestcraft in the "Articles and Covenants” (D&C 20:37). Smith imme¬
diately writes to ask by what authority Cowdery would alter the word
of God (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 50-51).

Circa late July 1830

Soon after the above exchange of letters, perhaps in late July, Joseph Smith
visits Fayette and convinces Cowdery and the Whitmers that D&C 20:37
is in harmony with scripture (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
51).

2 August-early September 1830

"Joseph Smith, Jun.” is enumerated in the 1830 census of Harmony, Sus¬
quehanna County (PA), sometime between 2 August 1830 when the cen¬
sus taking began and early September 1830 when Smith left Harmony. He
is listed at age twenty-four with three other males between twenty and
thirty years of age (probably Oliver Cowdery, age twenty-three, who had
previously lived with Smith; John Whitmer, age twenty-seven, then liv¬
ing with him; and an unidentified male); one female between twenty and
thirty, corresponding to Emma; and one unidentified male child between
ten and fifteen (see V.E.7, HARMONY [PA] CENSUS RECORD,
1830).

2 August-late November 1830

The Joseph Smith, Sr., family is enumerated in the 1830 census of Man-

437

APPENDIX B

Chester (NY). The ages of the males correspond to Joseph Sr., Hyrum, Don
Carlos, William, and Samuel; the ages of the females correspond to Lovina
and Mary (Hyrum’s children), Lucy (Joseph Sr.’s daughter), Jerusha
(Hyrum’s wife), Lucy Mack Smith, and an unknown female between
thirty and forty years of age. Missing from the list is Seventeen-year-old
Katharine, who may have hired out to neighbors (III.L.21, MANCHES¬
TER [NY] CENSUS RECORD, 1830). This was recorded sometime af¬
ter the commencement of the census on 2 August and probably before the
Smiths relocated to Fayette, New York, in mid-late November (see
mid-late November 1830).

14 August 1830

Justice Nathan Pierce issues an execution order in the case of Levi
Daggett vs. Hyrum Smith authorizing Constable Nathan Harrington ei¬
ther to collect $23.04 from Hyrum or to arrest him (III.L. 19, NATHAN
PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830).

16-31 August 1830

Joseph Smith, Sr., and son Don Carlos set out for Stockholm and Potsdam,
St. Lawrence County (NY), to visit Smith family relatives. Joseph Sr.’s fa¬
ther Asael is converted but not baptized (other Smith family members will
later convert). Joseph and Don Carlos remain about a week (LG.3, JOHN
SMITH REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1839; J. Smith 1948, 4:393).
George A. Smith says that the visit occurred in August and included a Sat¬
urday and Sunday (I.G.4, GEORGE A. SMITH REMINISCENCES,
CIRCA 1846, 1857 & CIRCA 1858). Lucy Smith says that her husband
returned shortly after Parley P. Pratt and Hyrum Smith arrived in Fayette
in late August and before Samuel Smith left on his third mission to Livonia
about 1 October (LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,1853:157, MS:160;
see late August 1830 and 1 October 1830).

25 August 1830

Isaac Hale signs over the Harmony property to Joseph Smith. John Whit-
mer signs as one of two witnesses to the transaction. The deed is dated 25
August 1830, but the reverse side indicates that the final payment was re¬
ceived on 26 August (V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH HARMONY [PA]
LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833). Joseph Smith gives a promissory note to
George H. Noble & Co. for $190.95 (V.E.6, GEORGE H. NOBLE AND
COMPANY VS. JOSEPH SMITH, 25 AUG 1830).

26 August 1830

Joseph Smith pays Isaac Hale the remaining balance of $86 for his home
and thirteen-acre lot (see above). This leaves Smith with $104.95. of the

438

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

$190.95 he received the previous day from George H. Noble & Co., which
on the 26th enters an “Amicable” action against Smith for the amount and
puts a lien on Smith’s property. Isaac and Elizabeth Hale appear before
Justice Jesse Lane concerning the sale to Joseph Smith. The debt to George
Noble & Co. will be satisfied sometime before 4 June 1831 (V.E.5, JO¬
SEPH GEORGE H. NOBLE AND COMPANY VS. JOSEPH
SMITH, 25 AUG 18SMITH HARMONY [PA] LAND RECORDS,
1828-1833; V.E.6,30).

28 August 1830

Joseph Smith and John Whitmer write from Harmony (PA) to the
Colesville (PA) Saints explaining why they have not visited them. The
two were apparently waiting for David Whitmer and Hyrum Smith to
bring a horse and wagon from Fayette (I.A.3, JOSEPH SMITH TO
COLESVILLE SAINTS, 28 AUG 1830; IV.A.2, NEWEL KNIGHT
JOURNAL, CIRCA 1846, 21; IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTO¬
BIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 63).

Late August 1830

Parley P. Pratt arrives in Manchester (NY) and speaks with Hyrum Smith.
The two walk to Fayette, arriving the same evening (III.K.16, PARLEY
P. PRATT AUTOBIOGICAPHY, CIRCA 1854 [PART I], 36, 38-39;
III.K.21, PARLEY P. PRATT REMINISCENCE, 1856 [PART I]).

Circa 1 September 1830

Parley P. Pratt is baptized in Seneca Lake, confirmed, and ordained an
elder by Oliver Cowdery (VI.F.7, PARLEY P. PRATT REMINIS¬
CENCE, 1854 [PART II], 43).

3 September 1830

Thomas B. Marsh is baptized by David Whitmer in Fayette (Porter 1971,
263).

4 September 1830

Newel Knight and his wife visit Joseph Smith, Jr., in Harmony (PA). Jo¬
seph receives a revelation (D&C 27:1-4) concerning the use of wine in
the sacrament. Joseph and Emma Smith, Newel and Sally Knight, andjohn
Whitmer hold a sacrament meeting, after which Emma and Sally are con¬
firmed (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 51-52; IV.A.3,
NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 62). Joseph
Smith’s history has “early August” for the reception of D&C 27:1-4, and
Knight’s autobiography follows this dating, but the Book of Command-

439

APPENDIX B

merits indicates 4 September 1830. The compilers of Smith’s history prob¬
ably re-dated the Knights’ visit to Harmony based on their belief that Smith
had moved to Fayette prior to the church conference of 1 September 1830
(actually held 26-28 September). The compilers also re-dated and divided
D&C 27, “the first paragraph [w. 1-4] of which was written at this time
[early August], and the remainder in the September following,” accord¬
ing to their assumption (I. A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 51).
However, the absence of D&C 27:5-18 from the Book of Command¬
ments indicates that these verses were more likely composed in 1835 pri¬
or to publication in the Doctrine and Covenants.

5 September 1830

Parley P. Pratt preaches in Fayette (NY) at the home of a Mr. [Philip?]
Burroughs, probably on the first Sunday after Pratt’s baptism (VI.F.6,
PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1854 [PART
II], 43).

5-8 September 1830

This is the probable time of the arrival in Harmony (PA) of Hyrum
Smith and David Whitmer from Fayette (NY). They are not in Har¬
mony during the 4 September 1830 visit of Newel and Sally Knight (see
above). Whitmer was still in Fayette on 3 September 1830 (see above).
The high-end date is determined by subtracting a minimum of eight days
from latest possible date for Joseph Smith’s departure from Harmony (see
below, 13-16 September 1830), including two days for the Colesville
confirmations, three days for Hyrum’s and David’s return to Fayette, and
three days for Peter Whitmer’s letter to arrive at Harmony.

5-10 September 1830

Joseph and Hyrum Smith and John and David Whitmer visit Colesville
(NY) and, at an evening meeting, confirm those who had been baptized
the previous June. Joseph Smith’s history incorrectly dates this event
“towards the latter end of August” (I. A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 53). The compilers of the history did not have access to
the Far West Record and incorrectly believed that the 26-28 September
conference in Fayette had started on 1 September (see 26-28 September
1830). Joseph Knight, Jr., follows the error in Smith’s history, dating the
Colesville confirmations to “four weeks” after Smith’s trials in early July
(IV.A.5, JOSEPH KNIGHT, JR., HISTORY, 16 AUG 1862). Newel
Knight dates it Sunday, 29 August, evidently attempting to harmonize
Smith’s 28 August letter in his possession with Smith’s history (IV.A.3,
NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 63-64; see

440

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

28 August 1830). The high-end date is determined by subtracting a min¬
imum of six days from the latest possible date for Smith’s departure from
Harmony (see 13-16 September 1830): three days for Hyrum’s and Da¬
vid’s return to Fayette and three days for Peter Whitmer’s letter to arrive
at Harmony.

6-10 September 1830 (A)

Joseph Smith and company leave Colesville the “next morning” after the
confirmations and return to Harmony (see below).

6-10 September 1830 (B)

David Whitmer and Hyrum Smith leave Harmony and return to Fayette
(I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 53-54). For the high-end
date, see 5-10 September 1830.

13 September 1830

Nathan Pierce’s execution against Hyrum Smith is returned. Constable
Harrington collects $12.81 from Hyrum (Hyrum’s presence not neces¬
sarily required), pays Levi Daggett $9.94 against the $21.07 judgement,
and gives Pierce $1.79 for court costs, leaving $1.08 for himself (III.L. 19,
NATHAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830; see also 27 September
1830).

13-16 September 1830

The probable time of Joseph Smith’s departure from Harmony (PA) for
Fayette (NY). The move was precipitated by a letter Smith received from
Peter Whitmer inviting him to live with him, “having heard of the perse¬
cutions which had been got up against us at Harmony” (I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 53). It is probable that Whitmer learned of the
situation from Hyrum Smith and Whitmer’s son David who had just re¬
turned from Harmony (see above). Smith’s history says that “some few
days” after his return from Colesville (see above), Newel Knight came
with a wagon to move him and his wife to Fayette (I.A.15, JOSEPH
SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 53). Writing to her brother David Hale in
February 1841, Emma Smith mentioned that she had left Harmony “ten
years [ago] last September]” (Emma Smith to Lorenzo D. Wassen and
David Hale, 12 February 1841, typescript, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, Utah). The low-end date for the move is determined by adding
a minimum of eight days to 5 September, the day after Newel Knight and
his wife visited Harmony: two days for the Colesville confirmations, three
days for Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer to return to Fayette, and three
days for Smith to receive a letter from Peter Whitmer. Parley P. Pratt, who

441

APPENDIX B

was baptized in Fayette about 1 September 1830, preached on the 5th and
soon after left Fayette but did not meet Smith until early October (VI.F.6,
PARLEY P. PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1854 [PART II],
43, 46). The high-end date is determined by subtracting a minimal
three-day trip from Harmony to Fayette to arrive on 25 September before
the conference there. However, according to Newel Knight, he conveyed
the Smiths to Fayette, returned home to Colesville to arrange his affairs,
then returned to Fayette on the evening of the 25th in time for the confer¬
ence (IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA
1846,64). Thus, the high-end date can be further narrowed by subtracting
a minimum of six days for Knight’s second trip.

19 September 1830

Parley P. Pratt baptizes Orson Pratt at Canaan (NY) (VI.F.8, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, 1858).

19 September/26 September/3 October 1830 (?)

Ezra Thayre hears Hyrum preach at the Smith residence in Manchester
(NY) on a Sunday before Joseph Jr.’s arrival (see 28 September/5 Oc¬
tober 1830; III.J.6, EZRA THAYRE REMINISCENCE, 1862, 82).
Assuming that Hyrum attended the Fayette conference of 26-28 Sep¬
tember (there is no certain evidence that he did), Thayre may have
heard him preach on the Sunday before (19 September) or after (3 Oc¬
tober) the conference. If Newel Knight’s dating is correct, 3 October is
ruled out (see 4 October 1830).

25 September 1830

Newel Knight arrives at the home of Peter Whitmer in Fayette (NY)
for the church conference and spends the night in Joseph Smith’s room.
Smith is troubled by Hiram Page’s revelations (IV.A.3, NEWEL
KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 64-65).

26 September 1830

Before the conference, Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 28)
condemning Page’s revelations, affirming his own sole leadership, and
establishing the rule of common consent (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 53-58; IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOG¬
RAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 65).

26-28 September 1830

The three-day church conference is held in the Whitmer home from
Sunday through Tuesday (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,
54-59). Smith’s history misdates the conference to 1 September, but the

442

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

Far West Record has 26 September (VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD,
9JUN 1830, 26 SEP 1830, & 2 JAN 1831). This record lists the number
of people who had joined the church since 9 June as thirty-five, bring¬
ing the total church membership to sixty-two. During the conference,
Smith receives a revelation (D&C 29) in the presence of six elders re¬
garding doctrinal and eschatological matters, as well as two other revela¬
tions (D&C 30 and 31) regarding a mission to the Lamanites. The meet¬
ing adjourns until 1 January 1831 (actually held 2 January).

27 September 1830

Nathan Pierce’s execution against Hyrum Smith in favor of Levi Daggett
is reissued for collection of the remainder of the debt or arrest (III.L.19,
NATHAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830; see also 13 September
1830 and 26 October 1830).

28 September/5 October 1830 (?)

Joseph and Emma Smith arrive in Manchester (NY), according to Lucy
Smith, the day before Hyrum’s departure (see 29 September/6 October
1830; LB.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:158-59, 166-67).
Joseph Smith receives a revelation commanding Joseph Sr. and Lucy
Smith to move to Waterloo (NY) and Hyrum Smith and family to move
to Colesville. If Newel Knight’s dating is correct, 5 October is ruled out
(see 4 October 1830).

29 September/6 October 1830 (?)

Hyrum Smith and family move in with Newel Knight in Colesville
(IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 65;
Porter 1971, 109). Hyrum’s move may have been precipitated by Justice
Nathan Pierce’s execution against him (see 28 September 1830). Lucy
says that Hyrum moved on a Wednesday (29 September or 6 October)
after Joseph and Emma arrived in Manchester (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH
HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 6 [back]). If Newel Knight’s dating is cor¬
rect, then Hyrum left on or before 1 October, possibly on Wednesday, 29
September (see 4 October 1830).

29 September/6 October 1830 (?)

Lucy Smith says that on the day following their arrival, Joseph and Emma
visited Macedon, the residence of Sophronia and Calvin Stoddard (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, 1853:158-69; on dating, see above).
If Newel Knight’s dating is correct, 6 October is ruled out (see 4 Octo¬
ber 1830).

443

APPENDIX B

Circa 1 October 1830

Samuel Smith leaves Manchester (NY) on a third mission to Livonia
(NY) (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,1853:159).

3 October/10 October 1830 (?)

Ezra Thayre visits Joseph Smith in Manchester (NY). Parley P. Pratt
baptizes Ezra Thayre and Northrop Sweet (III.J.6, EZRA THAYRE
REMINISCENCE, 1862, 82-83). Thayre said his baptism occurred on
the Sunday after Joseph Smith came to Manchester (see 28 September/5
October; I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,1853:164).

4 October 1830 (?)

Hyrum Smith attends a meeting at Aaron Culver’s in Colesville (NY) on
4, 6, and 10 October, according to Newel Knight (IV.A.2, NEWEL
KNIGHT JOURNAL, CIRCA 1846, 23). This portion ofKnight’sjour-
nal was passed over when published in 1883. However, Hyrum’s presence
in Colesville as early as 4 October is problematical, conflicting with both
Ezra Thayre’s and Lucy Smith’s sequencing of events, although neither
source definitively excludes Knight’s dating (see above; and I.B.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, n. 266).

6 October 1830 (?)

Newel Knight says that Hyrum Smith attended a sacrament meeting at
Aaron Culver’s in Colesville on this date (see 4 October 1830).

10 October 1830 (?)

Hyrum Smith attends another meeting at Aaron Culver’s in Colesville
(NY) where two are baptized (see 4 October 1830).

14 October 1830

Hyrum Smith and Newel Knight hold a meeting at Hezekiah Peck’s
home in South Bainbridge (NY). Four people are converted and possi¬
bly baptized. Knight heals Peck’s wife (IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AU¬
TOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 66-67). Ezekiel and Electa Peck are
baptized in October 1830, perhaps on this occasion (Utah Genealogical
and Historical Magazine 27 [April 1936]: 78-79).

15-17 October 1830

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 32), probably in Manchester
(NY), regarding the so-called “Lamanite mission” (see “Kirtland Reve¬
lation Book,” 83-84, where a notation reads: “Manchester October
1830”; see also Cook 1981, 128, n. 1). Lucy Smith incorrectly says that

444

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

this revelation was received in Waterloo (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, 1853:169).

17 October 1830

Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Ziba Peterson, and Peter Whitmer,
Jr., sign the “Missionaries Covenant” in Manchester (NY); Joseph
Smith, Jr., and David Whitmer sign as witnesses (III.L.22, MISSION¬
ARIES COVENANT, 17 OCT 1830).

17- 21 October 1830

Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Ziba Peterson, and Peter Whitmer leave
Manchester (NY) in “late” October 1830 (III.K.16, PARLEY P.
PRATT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1854 [PART I], 49; Oliver
Cowdery to Lyman Cowdery, 13 January 1834, Oliver Cowdery Letter-
book, 1833-38, Huntington Library, San Marino, California, which con¬
firms an October departure). According to Smith’s history, the missionar¬
ies left “immediately” after receiving the revelation (D&C 32; I.A.15)
mentioned above (JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 60). It is likely
that the missionaries left soon after 17 October (see 15-17 October 1830
and 21 October 1830). They arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, on 29 October
(see 29 October 1830). At this time, the church membership is estimated
to be between seventy and eighty (III.1.5, WILLIAM W. PHELPS AC¬
COUNT, 1833).

18- 21 October 1830

Joseph Jr. returns to Fayette (NY) the day after signing the “Mission¬
aries Covenant” (see above) and before revising the book of Genesis on
21 October (see below).

18-31 October 1830 (A)

Peter Bauder visits Joseph Smith at Peter Whitmer’s residence in Fayette
(NY), where he sees the manuscript of Smith’s Bible revision (I.A.4, JO¬
SEPH SMITH INTERVIEW WITH PETER BAUDER, OCT 1830,
36).

18-31 October 1830 (B)

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 33) in Fayette (NY) for Ezra
Thayre and Northrop Sweet (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839,76-77).

18-31 October 1830 (C)

Orson Pratt travels to Fayette (NY) to see the prophet and the Book of
Mormon witnesses in “October 1830” (VI.F.8, ORSON PRATT AC-

445

APPENDIX B

COUNT, 1858). Pratt states that his arrival was after Oliver Cowdery
and Peter Whitmer left for the west (Younget al., 1853-86, 7:178).

21 October 1830

Joseph Smith revises Genesis (Moses 5:43b—51) in Fayette (NY). The
manuscript (Old Testament Ms. #1, Community of Christ Library-
Archives) bears the date 21 October 1830 for the section of the Book of
Moses where John Whitmer s handwriting begins (Matthews 1975, 27-
28,64,68).

26 October 1830

Justice Nathan Pierce’s execution against Hyrum Smith is returned, stat¬
ing that neither Hyrum nor his property can be found (III.L.19, NA¬
THAN PIERCE DOCKET BOOK, 1830).

29 October 1830

Oliver Cowdery’s letter from Kirtland (OH), dated 12 November 1830,
states that he and the others “arrived at this place two weeks this day”
(Newel Knight, Journal, circa 1846, private possession).

31 October 1830

Asael Smith dies in St. Lawrence County (NY) (I.G.4, GEORGE A.
SMITH REMINISCENCES, CIRCA 1846, 1857, Sc CIRCA 1858).

1 November 1830

Elizabeth Knight, daughter of Joseph and Polly Knight, is baptized in
Colesville (NY) by Hyrum Smith, the youngest baptized into the church
up to that time (b. 22 July 1817; Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine
26 [October 1935]: 150).

4 November 1830

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 34) in Fayette (NY) calling
Orson Pratt to the ministry (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY,
1839, 77-78; VI.F.8, ORSON PRATT ACCOUNT, 1858).

Circa 5 November 1830

This is the probable time of Joseph Sr.’s arrest and imprisonment. Lucy
Smith says that Joseph Sr. was arrested on Thursday, the day following
Hyrum’s departure (see 29 September/6 October), and jailed in Can¬
andaigua for thirty days (LB.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:
Frag. 6 [back]). Following Lucy’s sequencing, it has been suggested that
Joseph Sr. was arrested either on Thursday, 30 September, following
the Fayette conference or the next Thursday, 7 October (Porter 1971,
109). If he was jailed for thirty days and was still in prison on 5 Novem-

446

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

ber with Eli Bruce (see below), then the later date is most likely (see 5
November 1830). However, there are several reasons for questioning
this sequence of events. If Hyrum left the day after Joseph Jr.’s arrival,
and assuming that Joseph Jr. was still in the area until at least 17 October
when he signed the “Missionaries Covenant” as a witness, then accord¬
ing to Lucy’s chronology, Joseph and Emma should still have been in
the vicinity of Manchester when Joseph Sr. was arrested. Yet Joseph
and his entourage from Fayette are conspicuously missing from Lucy’s
account of Joseph Sr.’s arrest and her troubles with creditors several days
later. It seems more likely that Joseph Sr. was not arrested until early
November after Joseph Jr. had left the area (see also 5 November 1830
and circa 14 December 1830).

5 November 1830

Joseph Sr. has a conversation with Eli Bruce in the Canandaigua jail
(III.1.1, ELI BRUCE DIARY, 5 NOV 1830). Despite Lucy Smith’s
chronology, it seems probable that Bruce’s conversation occurred near
the beginning of Smith’s incarceration, perhaps even on the first day,
rather than near the end (see circa 5 November 1830).

Circa 6 November 1830

On the day following Joseph Sr.’s arrest, Lucy Smith seeks assistance
from Palmyra merchant Abner Lackey, who procures testimony that will
be used to help Joseph Sr. gain access to the jail’s courtyard (LB.5, LUCY
SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 7; on dating, see above).

Circa 7 November 1830

Lucy Smith pays a debt in produce owed to Dr. Alexander McIntyre.
The Smith Manchester home is invaded by creditors. William Smith re¬
turns home from business in time to chase the creditors away. Samuel
Smith returns from a mission to Livonia (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 7, 1853:162-66; on dating, see above).

Circa 8 November 1830 (A)

Samuel Smith visits his father in jail on the morning following Samuel’s
return from Livonia (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:
Frag. 7, 1853:162-66; on dating, see above).

Circa 8 November 1830 (B)

Sidney Rigdon is baptized in Mentor (OH). While 14 or 15 November
1830 are usually cited as the date for this event, there is evidence that it
occurred sometime between 5 and 12 November. In a letter dated 12 No-

447

APPENDIX B

vember, Kirtland, Ohio, Oliver Cowdery states: “seventeen went imme¬
diately forward and were baptized, between eleven and twelve at night,
and on the 6th there was one more, on the 7th nine in the day time and at
night nineteen, on the 8th three, on the 9th three, on the 10th at night
one, on the 11th one, on this day another, making in the whole fifty five,
among whom are brother Sidney Rigdon and wife” (Newel Knight, Jour¬
nal, circa 1846, private possession). If the Painesville Telegraph is correct in
assigning Rigdon’s baptism to a Monday, then 8 November may be the
correct date (Painesville Telegraph, 15 February 1831; also III.G.5, OLIVER
COWDERY INTERVIEW WITH JOSIAH JONES, 1830).

12 November 1830

Oliver Cowdery writes a letter dated 12 November 1830 from Kirtland,
Ohio, to “Our beloved brethren,” evidently in Fayette (NY), describing
their success in the area. The letter indicates that Sidney Rigdon had not
yet left for New York but was planning to do so “sooner or later.” Con¬
cerning Rigdon’s planned visit, Cowdery wrote: “receive him [as] if from
my own bosom, for he is as I am” (Newel Knight Journal, circa 1846, in
private possession).

Mid-late November 1830

Samuel Smith moves his mother and sister Lucy (and Don Carlos?) to
Waterloo, Seneca County (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
1853:167).

18 November 1830

The Reverend John Sherer writes to Absalom Peters about Mormon
activities in Colesville (IV.C.l, JOHN SHERER TO ABSALOM PE¬
TERS, 18 NOV 1830).

30 November 1830

Joseph Smith continues to revise Genesis (Moses 5:52-6:18), probably
in Fayette (NY). The manuscript (Old Testament Ms. #1, Community
of Christ Library-Archives) bears the date 30 November 1830; John
Whitmer’s handwriting continues (Matthews 1975, 28, 64-65, 68).

1 December 1830 (A)

Joseph Smith continues to revise Genesis (Moses 6:19-7:2), probably in
Fayette (NY). The manuscript (see above) bears the date 1 December
1830, written by Emma Smith (Matthews 1975, 28, 65, 68-69; FARMS
Update, August 1996).

1 December 1830 (B)

Orson Pratt is ordained an elder by Joseph Smith (VI.F.8, ORSON
PRATT ACCOUNT, 1858).

448

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

2 December 1830

Orson Pratt is sent on a mission to Colesville (NY). Pratt is given a letter
of introduction by Smith andjohn Whitmer identifying Pratt as “another
Servant and Apostle” (I.A.5, JOSEPH SMITH TO COLESVILLE
SAINTS, 2 DEC 1830). Pratt would return to Fayette later that month
with Hyrum Smith (VI.F.8, ORSON PRATT ACCOUNT, 1858).

Early December 1830 (A)

Hyrum Smith and Newel Knight return from a preaching tour and find
Orson Pratt at Newel Knight’s home in Colesville (IV.A.3, NEWEL
KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRAPHY, CIRCA 1846, 67).

Early December 1830 (B)

The Harmony (PA) land assessment is taken (V.E.4, HARMONY [PA]
ASSESSMENT RECORDS, 1828-1831; V.E.5, JOSEPH SMITH
HARMONY [PA] LAND RECORDS, 1828-1833). The certification
indicates that the assessment was completed between 1-20 December
1830. Joseph Smith is assessed $14 for one acre of first-rate, $48 for six
acres of second-rate, and $24 for six acres of third-rate improved land and
$25 for his house. The total assessment is $111. An additional notation
reads: “removed from here Since last assessment.”

Circa 4 December 1830

Joseph Sr. is released from the Canandaigua jail after thirty days (see circa
5 November 1830).

Circa 7 December 1830

Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge arrive at Fayette (NY) shortly
before Joseph Smith receives revelations (D&C 35 and 36) concerning
them (LA. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 78-80; see 7 De¬
cember 1830). According to Lucy Smith, Rigdon and Partridge arrive
at her home in nearby Waterloo where a meeting is being held (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 9).

7 December 1830

Joseph Smith receives revelations (D&C 35 and 36) for Sidney Bdgdon
and Edward Partridge in Fayette (NY). The earliest printing of the reve¬
lation to Rigdon in the Ohio Star, 5 January 1832, dates its reception to 7
December 1830 (see Cook 1981,51).

7-24 December 1830

Joseph Smith revises Genesis (Moses 6:52a-68; 7:1-8:12), dictating also
the “Prophecy of Enoch” (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839,

449

APPENDIX B

81-87). This portion of Old Testament Manuscript #1 (Community of
Christ Library-Arc hives) is in the handwriting of John Whitmer and Sid¬
ney Rigdon (Matthews 1975, 65-66, 69). John Whitmer says the revela¬
tion was received in Fayette (NY) shortly after the arrival of Sidney Rig¬
don in early December 1830. Afterwards, according to Whitmer, “Joseph
and Sidney went to the several churchs preaching and prophesying
wher-ever they went” (VI.B.1JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, CIRCA
1836-1838,5).

11 December 1830

Edward Partridge is baptized, probably in Seneca Lake (Cook 1981, 53).
Following his baptism, Partridge writes a letter to Kirtland (OH) an¬
nouncing his baptism (Dibble 1882, 77).

Circa 14 December 1830

Joseph Sr. arrives in Waterloo/Fayette in December, a week after Sidney
Rigdon’s arrival on about 7 December (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 9). It is therefore likely that Joseph Sr. had been
incarcerated in early November rather than early October as Lucy claimed.

15 December 1830

Edward Partridge is ordained an elder by Sidney Rigdon (VI.G.6, ED¬
WARD PARTRIDGE ELDER’S LICENSE, 15 DEC 1830).

24 December 1830

W. W. Phelps meets Joseph Smith, perhaps in Canandaigua or Palmyra
(III.1.9, W. W. PHELPS TO OLIVER COWDERY, 21 FEB 1835;
VI.F.5, SIDNEY RIGDON REMINISCENCE, 1844; on location, see
below).

Late December 1830 (A)

“Soon after” the Enoch revelation was received (see 7-24 December 1830),
Joseph Smith receives another revelation (D&C 37) in Canandaigua (NY)
instructing him and Sidney Rigdon to stop their revision of the Bible until
they move to Ohio (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 87-88;
Book of Commandments 39, heading, has Canandaigua for place of re¬
ception). Lucy Smith says that the revelation was received in the “later
part” of December (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag.
9). The revelation instructs: “ye shall not go until ye have preached my
gospel in those parts, and have strengthened up the church whithersoever
it is found, and more especially in Colesville” (D&C 37:2; for Smith’s and
Rigdon’s visit to Colesville, see circa 5-23 January 1831).

450

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831
Late December 1830 (B)

It was probably on this occasion that Sidney Rigdon preached in the Can¬
andaigua courthouse, although Thayre mistakenly dates the event to Oc¬
tober 1830 (III.J.6, EZRA THAYRE REMINISCENCE, 1862, 83-84).
Rigdon also preached at the Palmyra Young Men’s Library Society on the
third story ofExchange Row on Main Street (III.B.12, LORENZO SAN¬
DERS INTERVIEW, 17 SEP 1884, 9; III.J.8, POMEROY TUCKER
ACCOUNT, 1867, 76-79). Pomeroy Tucker dated this event to 1830,
thus making it December 1830 rather than January 1831 (Tucker 1867,
126).

2 January 1831

The third church conference is held at the home of Peter Whitmer in
Fayette (NY) on Sunday, 2 January 1831. Smith receives a revelation
(D&C 38) for the church to move to Ohio (I.A. 15, JOSEPH SMITH
HISTORY, 1839, 88-90; VI.G.2, FAR WEST RECORD, 9 JUN
1830, 26 SEP 1830, & 2 JAN 1831). John Whitmer incorrectly dates
the conference to 1 January (VI.B.l, JOHN WHITMER HISTORY,
CIRCA 1836-1838, 5).

4 January 1831

Sidney Rigdon writes to the Kirtland (OH) congregation from Fayette
(NY) introducing John Whitmer (VI.F.2, SIDNEY RIGDON TO
OHIO SAINTS, 4 JAN 1831). Because Rigdon evidently refers to the
2 January 1831 revelation (D&C 38) as “one of the commandments, re¬
ceived day before yesterday,” he apparently wrote the letter on 4 Janu¬
ary 1831.

5 January 1831

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 39) in Fayette (NY) for James
Covill (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 91-92).

6 January 1831 (A)

Joseph Smith receives a revelation (D&C 40) in Fayette (NY) regarding
Covill’s apostasy (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 92).

6 January 1831 (B)

Lucy Smith writes from Waterloo (NY) to her brother Solomon Mack
in Gilsum (NH), describing the contents of the Book of Mormon (I.B.l,
LUCY SMITH TO SOLOMON MACK, 6 JAN 1831).

8 January 1831

Katharine Smith marries Wilkins Jenkins Salisbury (L. Smith 1853, 41;
Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 26 [July 1935]: 151-52).

451

APPENDIX B

Circa 8-20 January 1831

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon visit Colesville (NY) “several days,”
during which time Rigdon preaches (IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR.,
REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 8; IV.D.7, EMILY [COL¬
BURN] AUSTIN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 1882, 37-38). This is proba¬
bly the occasion on which Smith Baker said the two preached in the Knight
barn (IV.D.5, GEORGE COLLINGTON, SMITH BAKER, HAR¬
RIOT MARSH, AND REBECCA NURSE INTERVIEWS WITH
FREDERICK G. MATHER, JUL 1880). Both Joseph Knight and John
Whitmer say that this visit occurred after the 2 January church conference
(VLB. 1, JOHN WHITMER HISTORY, CIRCA 1836-1838, 9-12);
hence, after Smith’s 6 January revelation (D&C 40). The low-end date is
determined by adding a two-day trip to Colesville from Fayette. The
high-end date is determined by subtracting the two days in Harmony (see
below) and a two-day trip back to Fayette from Rigdon’s 24 January de¬
parture to Ohio.

9 January 1831

David Whitmer marries Julia Ann Jolly at Fayette (Cook 1981, 24).
Circa 10-14 January 1831

John Whitmer arrives in Kirtland (OH). The Painesville Telegraph reports
Whitmer’s arrival during the week prior to the 18 January 1831 issue.

11 January 1831

Eber D. Howe of Kirtland (OH) writes to W. W. Phelps in Canandai¬
gua (NY) requesting information about Mormonism (III.1.2, W. W.
PHELPS TOE. D. HOWE, 15JAN 1831; see 15January 1831).

11-22 January 1831

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon visit Harmony “to settle some Business”
(IV.A. 1, JOSEPH KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-
1847, 8). Knowing that he was soon to move to Ohio, Joseph Smith pre¬
sumably rents his home to Joseph McKune, Jr. He also may have arranged
for payment to Noble & Co. at this time (see 26 August 1830). Having
been warned by one of Joseph Knight’s sons of trouble awaiting them in
Colesville, Smith and Rigdon head direcdy for Fayette (IV.A.l, JOSEPH
KNIGHT, SR., REMINISCENCE, CIRCA 1835-1847, 9). The low-
end date is determined by adding a minimal three-day stay in Colesville
from the earliest possible date of arrival there.

15 January 1831

W. W. Phelps in Canandaigua (NY) responds to Eber D. Howe in Kirt-

452

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

land (OH) (III.1.2, W. W. PHELPS TO E. D. HOWE, 15 JAN 1831; see
11 January 1831).

Mid-January 1831

Joseph Smith receives a letter in Fayette (NY) from John Whitmer in
Kirtland (OH) requesting his presence (I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 9, 1853:170-71).

24 January 1831

Sidney Rigdon is reported to have left Waterloo on Monday, 24 Janu¬
ary 1831, on a stage; before leaving, he delivers a sermon in the court¬
house (III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831, under 1 Feb¬
ruary 1831).

Circa 27 January 1831

According to Joseph Smith’s history, Smith departs Waterloo/Fayette in
“[t]he latter part of January, in company <with> Brother Sidney Rigdon
and Edward Partridge ... [and] wife” (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HIS¬
TORY, 1839, 92; see also I.B.5, LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845,
1853:170-71). However, a Waterloo correspondent for the Palmyra Re¬
flector reported that Rigdon left on 24 January and that Smith and others
were to follow (III.E.3, PALMYRA REFLECTOR , 1829-1831, under
1 February 1831). Further, on 15 February the Painesville Telegraph re¬
ported that Rigdon arrived in Kirdand on 1 February and that Smith ar¬
rived three days later. Newel Knight dates Smith’s departure “towards the
latter part of January” (IV.A.3, NEWEL KNIGHT AUTOBIOGRA¬
PHY, CIRCA 1846, 68). Lucy Smith says that Joseph and Sidney
preached along the way, stopping at Calvin and Sophronia Stoddard’s
home in Macedon and at Preserved Harris’s home in Palmyra (I.B.5,
LUCY SMITH HISTORY, 1845, MS:Frag. 9 [back]).

1 February 1831

Sidney Rigdon arrives in Kirtland ( Painesville Telegraph , 15 February
1831).

4 February 1831

Joseph Smith remembered that he arrived in Kirtland (OH) “about the
first of February” (I.A.15, JOSEPH SMITH HISTORY, 1839, 92).
The Painesville Telegraph would report on 15 February that Rigdon ar¬
rived on 1 February and that Smith arrived three days later.

Circa 20 February 1831

Hyrum Smith baptizes Jared Carter in Colesville (IV.C.3, JARED
CARTER REMINISCENCE, 1832).

453

APPENDIX B

22 February 1831

Writing from Kirtland (OH), Joseph Smith instructs Martin Harris to
“come as soon as you can ... bring or cause to <be> brought all the books
[of Mormon] ... inform the Elders which are there that all of them who
can be spared will come here without delay if possable this by command¬
ment of the Lord ... send to Colesville and have either Hiram or Newel to
come immediately or both if they can be spared. You will not sell the
books [of Mormon] for less than 10 Shillings” (Joseph Smith to Martin
Harris, 22 February 1831, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah).

25 February 1831

The payment to Grandin, the printer, is due, as stipulated in Martin Har¬
ris’s mortgage (III.L.14, MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25 AUG
1829).

End of winter/spring 1831

Martin Harris visits Charles Butler of the New York Life Insurance and
Trust Company in Geneva (NY) seeking a $1,300 loan (III.F.3, MARTIN
HARRIS INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES BUTLER, CIRCA
1830-1831; III.K.6, JAMES GORDON BENNETT ACCOUNT,
1831).

1 April 1831

Martin Harris sells his farm, about 151 acres, to Thomas Lakey of Palmyra
(see introduction to III.L.14, MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25
AUG 1829).

19 April 1831

Ira J. Wells and company leave Colesville (NY) to later rendezvous in
Ithaca (NY) with other Colesville Saints led by Newel Knight. Wells’s
company arrives in Ithaca on 21 April 1831 (Porter 1971, 302-3, 305;
Porter 1990, 8).

21 April 1831

Freeborn De Mill, the Knight family, and others leave Colesville for
Ithaca (Porter 1971,303; Porter 1990, 8). Although Newel Knight wrote
in his journal that he left Colesville in early April 1831 (IV. A.2, NEWEL
KNIGHT JOURNAL, CIRCA 1846), a brief chronology sketched on
the back of a land indenture made out in Joseph Knight’s name gives the
date of departure: “Colesville <April> 21 [,] 1831 on thursday Setout we
arived at ithica on Saturday the next [23 April]” (Joseph Knight, Sr., Land
Indenture, 14 April 1826, LDS church archives; Porter 1971,305).

454

CHRONOLOGY, 1771-1831

25 April 1831

The Colesville Saints, numbering about sixty-eight men, women, and
children, leave Ithaca (NY) on a canal boat to Cayuga Bridge, situated at
the north end of Cayuga Lake, and arrive on 26 April (Porter 1871,306;
Porter 1990, 11).

27 April 1831

At Cayuga Bridge, the Colesville Saints change their lading to another
canal boat and depart for Buffalo (NY), arriving on 1 May (Porter 1971,
306). They are later joined by the group from Waterloo (NY), headed
by Lucy Smith (Porter 1971,307).

30 April 1831

William W. Phelps is imprisoned at Lyons (NY) for thirty days for an un¬
paid debt, which Phelps interprets as persecution for his belief in the Book
of Mormon (III.I.9, W. W. PHELPS TO OLIVER COWDERY, 21
FEB 1835).

I May 1831

Martin Harris moves from his Palmyra farm house, according to the stip¬
ulation of his sale agreement with Thomas Lakey (see introduction to
III.L.14, MARTIN HARRIS MORTGAGE, 25 AUG 1829).

3 May 1831

Martin Harris leaves various articles, including “300 Books of Mormon
to be sold for $1.25,” with Thomas Lakey of Palmyra (“List of Articles
belonging to Martin Harris Sc left in the hands of Thomas Lakey for safe
keeping...,” 3 May 1831, Vertical Files, Palmyra King’s Daughters Free
Library, Palmyra, New York).

3-4 May 1831

Two groups of Fayette (NY) Saints—a group of about fifty headed by
Lucy Smith and another of about thirty headed by Thomas B. Marsh—
depart from Waterloo (NY) on canal boats, using the Cayuga, Seneca,
and Erie canals to reach Buffalo (NY), probably arriving about 7-8 May
(Porter 1971,317; Porter 1990, 15-16).

7 May 1831

W. W. Phelps relinquishes editorship of the Ontario Phoenix (Ontario
Phoenix 4 [11 May 1831]: [2]).

II May 1831

The Saints in Buffalo (NY) make passage through the ice that had pre¬
vented their departure from the Lake Erie port, arriving at Fairport

455

APPENDIX B

(OH), 14 May (Porter 1971, 307-8). A group headed by Jared Carter
had already left to travel by land to Dunkirk (NY), then by steamboat to
Fairport (Porter 1971,307; Porter 1990, 17-18).

15-21 May 1831

According to the Wayne Sentinel on 27 May, Martin Harris and several
other families “took up their march from this town [Palmyra] last week
for the ‘promisedland’” (III.E.l, WAYNE SENTINEL, 1824-1836, un¬
der 27 May 1831). This group headed by Harris numbered about fifty
persons (Porter 1990, 19).

456

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461

INDEX

Adam-ondi-Ahman (MO), 248

Address to All Believers in Christ (1887), 68,
194-208

Albany (NY), 407
Alcott, Lydia, 89n2
Amalekites, 290, 290n22
American Cyclopaedia, 68, 195
Amity (PA), 195
Anabaptist(s), 378
Anderson, George Edward, 251
Anderson, Richard L., 183, 240, 382
Anderson, Stocky, 336

angel (messenger), appears to Hiram Page,
256; appears eleven times, 272, 272n6,
284; attacks Smith, 19-20; described by
David Whitmer, 45, 52; described by
Joseph Smith, 309; Moroni, 55, 97, 99,
146, 152, 192, 224, 261, 263; name of,
unknown, 136; Nephi, 261; one of three
Nephite apostles, 97, 187, 189, 191,
192n22; seen by Joseph Smith (1823),

19, 75, 78, 85, 133, 288, 297, 394; seen
by Mary Musselman Whitmer, 31, 45,
48, 52, 56, 187, 189, 191-92, 261-63;
seen on road (1829), 10, 44-45, 48, 51-
52, 55-56, 75n9, 187, 189, 191, 192;
seen by three witnesses, 3, 26, 39, 200,
238, 308-309, 325-26, 345-47; seen un¬
der shed, 11

Anthon, Charles, 20, 20n4, 78, 84, 98, 102,
107, 131, 131n22, 154, 159, 159n3, 164,
167, 170, 177, 186, 188, 196, 213,
249n5, 407

Anti-Mason(s), 268, 268nl, 418

apostle(s), 11, 25, 30, 32, 33, 87, 97, 137n8,
155, 156, 161n5, 175, 179, 200n26, 206,
207, 240, 244, 274, 292, 304, 306,
306n3, 316, 316n3, 320, 357, 419, 432,
433, 449

apostleship, 244; restored by Peter, James,
and John, 43, 50, 329n9
Articles and Covenants of the Church of
Christ, 348, 349, 349nl0, 352, 355, 357,
437

Australia, 128

Babel, 21, 85
Babylonians, 184
Badham, Jesse R., 220-21

Bainbridge. See South Bainbridge,

Chenango County (NY)

Baker, Smith, 452

baptism, 25, 119n2, 137nl0, 180, 200,
200n26, 202, 216, 276, 277, 318, 318n9,
352, 377, 435; in Colesville, 367, 369,
370, 371, 373, 374-75, 418, 434, 444,
446, 453; Fayette, 3, 4, 9, 94nl, 137,
137n8, 187, 189, 190, 201, 231, 235n7,
242, 244, 255, 282, 283, 283nl5, 284,
284nl8, 293, 294, 294nl3, 294nl4, 297,
297n3, 298, 299, 316, 316n3, 317, 320,
321, 329, 332, 336, 337, 338, 359, 363,
364-69, 372, 373, 430, 431, 432, 439,
440, 450; Harmony, 363, 415-16; Mac-
edon, 372; Manchester, 352, 364, 370,
374, 430, 444; South Bainbridge, 370-
71, 444

Baptist(s), 277, 278, 303

Barre (MA), 241n2

Batavia (NY), 336n3

Bauder, Peter, 445

Bays, Davis H., 218

Beaman, Alvah, 404, 435

Bearytown, Seneca County (NY), 271

Beaver Island (MI), 66n7

Beebe, George, 369, 369n25

Beebe, Isaac, 369n25

463

INDEX

Beebe, Olive, 369, 369n25
Benjamin, William Evarts, 355
Bennett family, 332

Bible, 23, 38, 87, 132, 187, 197, 203, 204,
206, 209, 212, 215, 226, 246, 277, 387,
424

Bidamon, Emma. See Smith, Emma (Hale)
Birmingham, Warwickshire (England), 240
bishop, 89n2, 95

Black, James W., 42, 42n8, 49, 70
Black, Joseph S., 226, 251
Blackfoot (ID), 165, 167
Blair, William W„ 60, 172, 221
Blakeslee, George A., 89-94, 89n2
Bloomington (ID), 95
Bogart, Samuel, 240
Bond, Myron H., 251

Book of Commandments, 59, 60n5, 205,
206, 207, 351, 439-40
Book of Lehi, 76, 183, 184

Book of Mormon, 12, 24, 28, 32, 33, 34,
37, 46n20, 54, 79, 83, 84, 87, 90, 100,
128, 132, 142, 145, 146, 147, 156, 161,
173, 182, 185, 200, 204, 206, 209, 212,
215, 232, 235, 241, 244, 246, 267, 287,
289, 290, 290n22, 313, 316, 317, 318,
425, 428, 451, 455; and lost tribes of Is¬
rael, 18, 18n2, 304, 304n3; contents
summarized, 274-76; copyright, 102,

105, 167, 304, 419; early editions, 128-
29; extracts published by Abner Cole,
425, 426-28; in harmony with Bible, 23;
plot to destroy manuscript, 425; preface,
423; referred to as “Golden Bible,” 103,
107, 288, 303, 331, 332, 431; revelation
to sell copyright in Canada, 180, 197-99,
199nl8, 258-59, 259nll, 328, 328n8,
329, 333-34, 340-41, 428; said to have
been written by Cowdery, 290; sale
price reduced, 285-86, 304, 304n6, 454;
sale of, 429; Spaulding theory regarding,
24nl9, 86, 94, 128, 132, 153nl3, 156,
195-96; Stowell plans to buy $500
worth, 425; Testimony of Three Wit¬
nesses, 10, 13, 22nl5, 39, 47, 65-66, 97,

118, 132, 142, 147, 193, 200, 224, 227,
238, 243, 244, 282, 325, 345-47; title
page, 272, 345; title page published in
Wayne Sentinel, 420. See also plates (of
gold); Testimony of Three Witnesses

—printer’s manuscript, in David

Whitmer’s possession, 19, 23, 19n3,
29, 33, 46, 47-49, 79, 117-18, 141,
159; description of, 102, 108, 112,
115, 141; examined by RLDS com¬
mittee, 123-29, 133; given to David
Whitmer by Oliver Cowdery, 46,

52, 79, 120, 167; given to Oliver
Cowdery by Joseph Smith, 120; in¬
correctly believed to contain hand¬
writing of minor scribes, 29, 32, 33,
47, 53, 112, 115, 129-30, 156, 166-
67; mostly in Oliver Cowdery’s
handwriting, 52, 53, 59, 106, 220;
prepared by Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum
Smith, and unknown scribe, 29n6,
47n23, 112n2, 156n23, 423, 424;
punctuation and capitalization added
by typesetter, 117-18n2

—printing of, 3, 4, 22, 77, 125, 130,

197, 200, 210, 268, 268n3, 285, 293,
332, 338, 338n8, 340, 418, 421, 422,
423, 424; binding, 429; finished, 429;
Martin Harris mortgages farm for, 87,
156, 197-98, 197nl2, 199, 285,
285n22, 285n24, 333, 333n2, 334,
423, 454; at office of Wayne Sentinel,
285n22; progresses slowly, 425;
proofed by Oliver Cowdery, 121;
typeset by John H. Gilbert, 286, 426

—translation of, 231, 373n48; begun in
Harmony, 3; by means of seer stone,
15, 59-60, 61, 85-86, 293, 329, 332;
completed in Fayette, 3, 9, 21, 137;
first part probably burned by Lucy
Harris, 155n20; from reformed Egyp¬
tian, 18, 63, 78, 102-103, 131, 133,
154, 177, 213; Martin Harris loses
first part, 15, 155, 155n20, 183; takes
about three months, 153nl4. See also
seer stone; urim and thummim

Booth, Ezra, 307n7, 308-10, 346

464

INDEX

Braden, Clark, 117
Brackenbury, “Lettie,” 223
Brand, E. C., 224, 242, 250
breastplate, 35, 38, 131
Bridgman, Peter, 399
Briggs, Edmund C., 119-22
Brigham Young University, 47n23
Brighamites, 23
Bronson, Birdseye, 267
Bronson, Isaac, 267
Bruce, Eli, 447

Buchanan, George W., 71, 225, 227
Buffalo (NY), 5, 337, 455
Bullock, Thomas, 240
Bunnell, David E., 373n48
Bunnell, Eve, 373n48
Bunnell, Joshua, 373n48
Bunnell, Sarah (Conrad), 373, 373n48
Burns (NY), 65
Burroughs, Anna, 373, 373n43
Burroughs (Burrows), Philip, 289, 289nl4,
317, 369n22, 373n43, 440
Burt, Ontario County (NY), 392, 393. See
Manchester, Ontario County (NY)
Butler, Charles, 454

Cadwell, Phineas, 221
Caffall, James, 218-19
Caldwell County (MO), 62, 82
Caldwell County Sentinel , 245
California, 128, 182
Calvin, Johannes, 270
Canaan (NY), 318n9, 322nl, 368, 368nl8,
442

Canada, 180, 197-99, 199nl8, 240-41,
258-59, 259nll, 328, 328n8, 329,
333-34, 428. See also Smith, Joseph, Jr.
(revelations of)

Canandaigua (NY), 303, 305, 306n5, 371,
398, 446, 449, 450, 451, 452
Canaseraga (NY), 65
Cannon, Adrian, 111

Cannon, Angus M., 225

Cannon, Ann (Quayle), 111

Cannon, David H., 217-18

Cannon, Donald Q., 350nl8

Cannon, George, 111

Cannon, George Q., 12n2, 106, 111-16

Canton (IL), 242

Cantwell, L. C., 70

Carlisle (PA), 278n23

Carrol County (MO), 15

Carter, Jared, 373, 373n41, 453, 456

Cayuga Bridge, 455

Cayuga Canal, 5

Cayuga Lake, 3, 22, 73, 104, 104nl4, 107,
130, 455

Chamberlain, Harrison, 5, 296-97, 298
Chamberlain, Hope (Haskins), 366
Chamberlain, Jacob B., 296, 331, 331n2
Chamberlain, Jacob P., 331n2
Chamberlain, Joseph, 434
Chamberlain, Orrin, 289, 289nl3, 373,
373n44

Chamberlain, Solomon, 365, 365-66nll
Chandler, Neal, 271, 274nl4, 275nl6
Chase, Willard, 390, 393, 396, 400, 403, 431
Chatbum, Jonas W., 93-94
Chenango, Broome County (NY), 413
Chenango County (NY), 398, 399, 435
Chicago (IL), 50, 119, 151, 183
Chicago Historical Society, 172
Chicago Inter-Ocean , 172, 173
Chicago Times, interview with David
Whitmer (1875), 17-24, 25-26, 58;
(1881), 83-88; (1885), 150-58, 166;
(1888), 209-10

Child, Jacob T., 17, 22, 22nl6, 42, 42n4,
42n8, 49, 53, 70, 123, 124nl, 126, 183
Child, Susan, 42n8

Church of Christ, 18, 22, 23, 59, 69, 78,

86, 117, 137, 140, 141, 156, 157, 181,
193, 197, 200, 201, 203, 204, 208, 235,
276, 353, 356, 357. See also Church of

465

INDEX

the Latter-day Saints; Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
18, 140n3, 322, 337. See also Church of
Christ; Church of the Latter-day Saints
—membership (6 April 1830), 363; (9
June 1830), 277n46, 351n24, 364-66,
432; (26 September 1830), 351, 366-
69, 443; (between September 1830
and spring 1831), 369-75, 445
Church of the Latter-day Saints, 140n3,

208. See also Church of Christ; Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Clark, Hyrum, 31, 31nl8, 33
Clark, John A., 405
Clark, Thankful, 31nl8
Clawson, Hiram B., 336
Clay County (MO), 231
Cleveland (OH), 117, 283
Clinton, DeWitt, 287n2
Clinton County (NY), 337
Cobb, James T., 333-35
Coe, Joseph, 323, 323n8, 372, 372n36
Colburn, Emily, 371, 371n33, 434
Coldwater (MI), 92

Cole, Abner, 259nll, 425, 426-28, 431,
432, 433

Colesville, Broome County (NY), 189,
306n5, 337, 337n5, 399, 401, 433, 436,
437, 448, 454; baptisms, 367, 369, 370,
371, 373, 374-75, 434, 435, 444, 446,
453; branch of church established, 201;
church members move to Ohio, 454-56;
Hyrum Smith and family move to
(1830), 4, 312n2; Joseph Smith arrested
and tried (1830), 435-36; Joseph Smith
confirms members of the church in,
440-41; Joseph Smith and Sidney Rig-
don visit, 237-38, 237nl2, 305, 450,

452; Joseph Smith visits Joseph Knight,
asks for money, 412; Joseph Smith
works for Joseph Knight (1826-27), 401;
Joseph Smith writes letter to believers in,
439; Newel Knight exorcism, 431, 436;
Orson Pratt’s mission to, 323, 449; per¬

secution, 434; Sidney Rigdon preaches
in, 452

Colorado, 242

Columbia College (University), 154, 355,
407

Community of Christ, lln2, 355. See also
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints
compass. See liahona
Congregational Church, 377
Connecticut, 267
Contributor , 95, 359

Cook, Lyndon W., 11, lln2, 89, 111,
165n2, 194, 349nl0, 350nl8
Corrill, John, 241, 241n2, 257n3
Council of Fifty, 312
Covert, Seneca County (NY), 267, 269
Covill, James, 372, 372n37, 451
Cowdery, Elizabeth Ann (Whitruer), 4, 5,
37, 37n2, 242, 242nl, 260, 293, 329,
365, 431

Cowdery, Keziah (Pearce, Austin), 370,
370n27

Cowdery, Oliver, 20, 29, 66, 76, 86, 154,
173, 179n22, 196, 207, 209, 217, 224,
258, 260, 277, 282, 311, 329, 437; apos¬
tle, 316, 316n3, 320; elder (designated
as), 348n3, 349, 350; founding member
(one of six elders) according to David
Whitmer, 30, 32, 33, 78, 188, 189, 200,
293, 338; handles plates, 141; handwrit¬
ing on printer’s manuscript of Book of
Mormon, 29n6, 47n23, 52, 53, 59, 106,
112n2, 156n23; makes copy of the Tes¬
timony of Three Witnesses, 48n24, 53,
325, 345; never denies testimony, 25,
117, 118, 120-21, 195, 243; ordains Jo¬
seph Smith “Prophet, Seer, and Revela-
tor,” 202, 203, 204, 227, 328; “pecu¬
liar,” in David Whitmer’s opinion, 37;
prophecies of, 199; receives printer’s
manuscript from Joseph Smith, 120; said
to have written Book of Mormon, 290;
receives seer stone from Joseph Smith,
179, 199-200, 214, 430; second elder,
353, 356, 357; testimony of, heard by

466

INDEX

Edward Stevenson, 161, 163; trip to
Canada to sell Book of Mormon copy¬
right, 198, 258, 328, 328n8, 334, 340-
41, 428; uses the term urim and thum-
mim (1834), 59n4; witness (one of
three) to Book of Mormon, 65, 68, 238,
295, 325, 345-47; writes history (since
lost), 234n2

—activities, Palmyra/Manchester (NY),
152; learns about plates while board¬
ing with Smiths, 152n7, 412; teaches
school, 103, 107, 176; meets David
Whitmer, 3, 9, 54, 74, 103, 152,
152n7, 176nl3; visits to oversee
printing of Book of Mormon, 121,
421, 422, 424; prepares printer’s
manuscript, 423, 424; buys large Bi¬
ble from Egbert Grandin, 424; re¬
ceives letters from Joseph Smith,
424-25; from Thomas Marsh, 425;
writes to Joseph Smith (November
1829), 425; (December 1829), 426;
discovers (with Hyrum Smith) Abner
Cole’s plan to publish extracts from
Book of Mormon, 425-26; visits cave
in hill Cumorah with Joseph Smith,
34-35; performs baptisms, 352,
370n28, 430

—activities, Harmony (PA), 433; visits
Joseph Jr. with Samuel Smith (April
1829), 9, 21, 103, 107, 152n7,
152nl0, 414; acts as witness to land
transaction between Isaac Hale and
Joseph Smith, 414; works as Joseph
Smith’s scribe, 21, 26, 40, 44, 60, 75,
133, 414; has private thoughts read
by Joseph Smith, 9, 44, 51, 103, 107,
415; corresponds with David Whit¬
mer, 3, 9, 44, 51, 54, 81, 103, 107,
152n7, 176, 187, 189, 212, 414-15,
416; expresses desire to translate, 415;
baptized by Joseph Smith, 137nl0,
329, 363, 415-16; ordained (with Jo¬
seph Smith) by John the Baptist, 329,
329n9, 415-16; requests refuge in
Fayette on Joseph Smith’s behalf, 9,
54, 103, 107, 417

—activities, Colesville (NY): performs

baptisms, 367nl6, 434; travels to,
with Joseph Smith, 431; testifies at
Joseph Smith’s trial (1830), 436; re¬
ceives ordination by Peter, James,
and John while fleeing from, with
Joseph Smith, 218, 227, 436-37

—activities, Fayette (NY), 262; said to
have taught school in, 289, 289nl6,
295, 295n22; visits Whitmers on way
to Harmony, Pennsylvania (April

1829) , 3, 21, 44, 51, 54, 75, 414;
transported to (with Joseph Smith) by
David Whitmer (June 1829), 9, 10,
21n9, 31nl3, 44-45, 51-52, 55-56,
75-76, 103-104, 136-37, 152n7, 153,
160, 187, 192, 212, 262, 417; with
Joseph Smith and David Whitmer
when Nephite is seen on the road,
30-31, 44-45, 51-52, 55-56, 160,

187, 189, 191, 192; writes for Joseph
Smith, 84, 86, 105, 108, 121-22,

134, 153, 154, 160, 195, 196, 210,
227, 288, 293, 298, 332, 417; per¬
forms baptisms (June 1829), 293,
293nl0, 418; (April 1830), 4, 231,
364n7, 365n8, 430, 431; (September

1830) , 316-17, 316n3, 320, 439; or¬
dains Joseph Smith an elder, 136,
136n7, 137, 337, 419; receives reve¬
lation (through Joseph Smith) regard¬
ing calling of twelve apostles, 419;
writes to Hyrum Smith, 420; revela¬
tion regarding building up the
church, 420; vision of angel and gold
plates (June 1829), 3, 9, 13, 29, 32,
32nl9, 34, 43, 50-51, 77, 85, 100,
113, 115-16, 121, 134, 136, 146-47,
155-56, 160, 163, 176-77, 187, 212-
13, 421; delivers first public sermon
in (April 1830), 4, 293, 430; confirms
members, 433; writes to Smith de¬
manding change in a revelation, 437;
attends conferences (9 June 1830),
349, 350, 432; (26 September 1830),
350-51; serves as clerk of conference,
351; drafts priesthood licenses, 352,
357, 359; performs ordinations, 349,
351; instructed by revelation to con-

467

INDEX

front Hiram Page about false revela¬
tions, 309-10

—activities, Ohio and Missouri: mission
to Indians, 82, 86, 234, 312n2,

313n3, 351, 445; baptizes Sidney
Rigdon, 359; ordains Sidney Rigdon
an elder, 235, 359; writes to Joseph
Smith, 446, 448; transports revela¬
tions to Missouri, 231; marries Eliza¬
beth Ann Whitmer, 37, 37n2, 151,
151n3; excommunicated, 174n5;
lives briefly in Wisconsin, 327,

327n6; practices law in Tiffin (OH),
37, 37n3; deathbed testimony of, 68,
105, 108, 195, 223; charges David
Whitmer to keep records, 46, 52;
death and burial in Richmond (MO),
32, 34, 37, 43, 50, 68, 130, 157,
174-75, 218, 242-43
Cranmer, J. J., 341
Crowley, George W., 69
Culver, Aaron, 367, 370n29, 434, 444
Culver, Esther (Peck), 367, 434
Cumorah, hill (Manchester, NY), 174; an¬
gel on road to, 45, 51, 55; David Whit¬
mer visits, 19, 24, 24nl8, 39-40, 130-31,
131nl7, 153; Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery visit cave in, 34-35; Joseph
Smith visits (1823), 19-20; place of ex¬
traction of gold plates seen by Joseph
Smith’s neighbors, 74, 81, 84, 103, 107,
152; plates kept in another nearby hill,
39; plates deposited in, 19, 78, 85, 133,
153

Daggett, Levi, 430, 432, 433, 434, 438,

441, 443, 446
Dartmouth College, 382
Daughters of the American Revolution, 182
Davidson, James, 435, 436
Davis, Charles A., 234
Davis, D. F., 222
Davis, James A., 70
deacon(s), 141
Decatur County (IA), 135

De Mill, Anna (Knight), 369, 369n23,
369n24, 369n25

De Mill, Freeborn, 369, 369n23, 369n24,
369n25, 454
Derryfield (NH), 377
Des Moines Daily News , 171n2
Deseret News, 36, 101, 105n20, 145nl3,

187, 247

Dewey Hill, Royalton County (VT), 381
DeYoe, Grattis C., 299n8
DeZeng, Philip, 399
Dickinson, Ellen E., 65, 281-86
Doctrine and Covenants, 60, 60n5, 205,
206, 207, 234, 440

Doniphan, Alexander W., 70, 70nl, 126,
126n2

Dunbar, D. C., 171, 171n2, 174
Dunbarton (NH), 377
Dunkirk (NY), 456
Dunn, George W., 70
Duntz, Miss, 297nl
Durfee, Lemuel, Jr., 427
Durfee, Lemuel, Sr., 399, 400, 402, 408,
409, 410-11, 412, 414, 419, 422, 424,
432

Eddy, Casper W., 390-91
Eddy, Ira, 308, 309, 310
Eggleston, Michael, 427
eight witnesses, 11, 37, 38, 39, 43, 47, 53,
77, 77nl7, 175, 191, 222, 231, 232, 238,
249, 303, 304, 304n2, 304n4, 320, 326,
421-22

elder(s), 11, 23, 29n7, 48, 78, 79, 79n27,

90, 93, 94, 94nl, 119n2, 124, 136n7,
137, 137n9, 141, 157, 176, 180, 187,
189, 190, 200, 200n26, 200-201n28,

201, 203, 206, 207, 215, 221, 222, 231,
233, 235, 235n7, 250, 305, 306n3,
316n3, 317, 321, 322, 323, 323n3, 348,
348n3, 349, 350, 351, 353, 356, 357-58,
368nl7, 419, 432, 439, 443, 448, 450
Elkhorn (WI), 327n6
Eflisburg (NY), 89n2

468

INDEX

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 68, 195
Erie Canal, 3, 5, 398, 455
Etzenhouser, Rudolph, 119-22, 119n2

The Evening and the Morning Star, 59n3, 311,
366

Evertson, Nicholas, 390-91
Ewing, Warren, 49

Excelsior Springs, Ray County (MO), 255
exhortation, 350, 350nl8

Fairport (OH), 5, 455, 456
Fairview (MO), 62
Fall, Captain, 123, 124
Fall River Herald, 25, 26
Far West (MO), 157, 163, 185, 211, 231,
232, 233, 240, 242, 244, 248, 249, 250,
251, 255, 348

Far West Record, 5, 348-51, 440, 443
Faris, John T., 126

Farmington, Ontario County (NY), 391,
392. See also Manchester, Ontario
County (NY)

Fayette, Seneca County (NY), 255, 270,
281, 282, 284nl7, 285, 287, 290nl9,
298, 311, 323, 337, 339, 425, 432-33,
437, 439, 440, 445, 447, 450, 452; bap¬
tisms, 3, 4, 9, 94nl, 231, 235n7, 283,
283nl5, 284, 284nl8, 293, 293nl0, 294,
294nl3, 294nl4, 297, 297n3, 298, 299,
316, 316n3, 317, 320, 332, 336, 337,
338, 359, 363, 364-69, 372, 373, 418,
430, 431, 432, 439, 450; branch of
church, 201; center of Mormon activi¬
ties, 4, 237nl0; Christian Whitmer
serves as constable, 183n4; church con¬
ferences, 3, 4, 94nl, 237, 294, 297, 305,
323, 348-51, 353, 356, 357, 358, 363,
364, 366nl2, 432, 440, 442-43, 446,
451; church meetings, 293; church
members move to Ohio, 455; history
published by Diedrich Willers, Jr., 287,
292-95; Joseph Smith works on Bible
revision, 448, 449-50; Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery move to (June 1829),

9, 10, 31nl3, 75-76, 136-37; Joseph and

Emma Smith move to (September
1830), 4, 295, 441-42; Joseph Smith’s
possible early money digging in, 287-88,
297, 298, 331; not location of church’s
organization, 3, 4, 22nl4, 292, 292nl,
336, 337; persecution, 314; preaching,
294, 440; revelations, 3, 446; secret
meetings, 312-15, 316-17; Sidney Rig-
don ordains Edward Partridge an elder,
359, 450; translation of Book of Mor¬
mon completed, 3, 9, 21, 21n9, 137,
421; translation of Book of Mormon
takes one month, 76, 197, 227; transla¬
tion of Book of Mormon in general, 3,
59, 177, 191, 196, 212, 293; vision of
three witnesses, 3-4, 9, 308-309, 325-
26, 345; visited by Parley Pratt, 316-19,
439; visited by Sidney Rigdon and Ed¬
ward Partridge, 4, 203, 235-36, 305,

359; visited by David Marks, 303-304;
visited by Orson Pratt, 322-23, 445-46;
Whitmer home, 3, 4, 75n8, 152n7,
176nl3, 331; Whitmers move to (1809),
6, 73nl, 130. See also West Fayette, Sen¬
eca County (NY)

Fenn, Lucius, 5, 267-69

First Presidency, 312

Firth, Edith G., 259nll

Fish, Abraham, 402, 412, 424, 427, 432

Fishing River (MO), 257

Follett, Benjamin, 290nl9

Forscutt, Mark H., 219, 242-43

Freemason(s), 267-68

French, J. H., 285, 285n22

Fuller, Orill, 65, 65n2

Fun, I. C., 245-46

Galien (MI), 89, 89n2
Gamber, Henry, 290
Garner, H. C., 70
Gates, Sister, 224-25
Geauga County (OH), 235
Geneva (NY), 22, 73, 303

469

INDEX

German Reformed Church, 9, 270, 271,
277, 278, 282, 292
Gilbert, E. S., 65-67
Gilbert, John H., 102, 117, 117-18n2,
197nl2, 286, 407, 418, 421, 423, 426,
428

Giles, Colonel, 123, 124
Gilsum (NH), 377, 391, 451
Glendale (CA), 171
Godmanchester (England), 242
Grandin, Egbert B., 285, 293, 340, 405,

418, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 427, 428,
454

Green, John P., 216
Greenwood, John, 395
Gurley, Zenas H., 119n2, 135-38

Hager, Albert D., 172

Hale, Alvah, 129-30, 405, 406

Hale, David, 441

Hale, Elizabeth, 439

Hale, Isaac, 412, 426; boards the

Stowell-Smith money-digging company,
398; at church when Joseph Smith
elopes with daughter, 401; confronts Jo¬
seph Smith about stealing his daughter
and digging for money, 402; forbids
golden plates being kept at home, 406;
Joseph and Emma move in, 406; sells
land to son-in-law, 414, 415, 416, 431,
434, 438-39
Hale, Jesse, 406
Hah, Levi, 367, 367nl6, 434
Hah, Wilford A., 296-97nl
Hamilton (MO), 62
Hamiltonian , 62, 68
Hancock County (IL), 135
Hannibal (MO), 341
Harber, Martha, 15
Harlan (IA), 93

Harmony, Susquehanna County (PA),
306n4, 425, 426, 427, 433, 436, 439;
baptisms, 363; Joseph Smith’s land as¬

sessed, 407, 412, 426, 449; Joseph Smith
and company lodge with Isaac Hale,

398; Joseph Smith returns with Samuel
Lawrence, 400; Joseph and Emma Smith
move to (December 1827), 20-21, 20n7,
292-93, 406; Joseph Smith purchases
land from father-in-law, 414, 415, 416,
431, 438-39; Joseph Smith appears in
1830 census, 437; Joseph Smith returns
to (October 1829), 21n9; Joseph Smith
and Oliver Cowdery leave, with help
from David Whitmer (June 1829), 9, 10,
31nl3, 136-37, 187; Joseph Smith
searches for buried treasure for Josiah
Stowell (1825), 396, 398; Joseph and
Emma Smith move from (September
1830), 295, 441-42; Oliver Cowdery
moves to (April 1829), 9, 75n8, 152n7,
152nl0; persecution, 441; Stowell-Smith
money-digging company formed, 398;
translation of Book of Mormon, 3,

20n7, 408; visited by Martin Harris and
Hyrum Smith, 408; visited by Martin
and Lucy Harris, 407-408; visited by
David Whitmer (June 1829), 44, 51, 54,
75, 81, 104nl4, 130, 187; visited by Jo¬
seph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, 452

Harding, Stephen S., 424
Harpersville (OH), 241n2
Harrington, Constable, 433, 441
Harrington, Margaret G., 165
Harris, Abigail, 408
Harris, Emer, 373, 373n40
Harris, Lucy, 155n20, 407, 413

Harris, Martin, 20, 29, 33, 66, 76, 86, 173,
196, 199, 207, 218, 224, 258, 259,
259nll, 372n38, 373n40, 405, 424, 425,
431; death of, 38; excommunicated,

175; founding member of church (one
of six elders), according to David
Whitmer, 78, 188, 189; has copy of Jo¬
seph Smith’s Canadian revelation,

328n8, 335nll, 341; immigrates to
Utah, 29, 175; maintains testimony until
death, 25, 195; testimony of, heard by
Edward Stevenson, 161, 163; witness to

470

INDEX

Book of Mormon (one of three), 65, 68,

238, 295, 325, 345-47

—activities, Palmyra/Manchester (NY):
learns about gold plates from brother
Preserved, 405; visited by Lucy
Smith, 405; gives Joseph Jr. fifty dol¬
lars, 405; visited by Joseph Sr. and
Lucy, who ask for money, 407; ex¬
presses hope of making money from
Book of Mormon, 408; loses transla¬
tion manuscript, 15, 76-77, 155,
155n20, 178-79, 183n6, 188, 214,
327, 408, 409; testifies at trial in Ly¬
ons, 413; helps Joseph Smith negoti¬
ate printing of Book of Mormon,

418; mortgages farm to print Book of
Mormon, 87, 156, 197-98, 197nl2,
199, 285, 285n22, 285n24, 333,
333n2 334, 423, 454; plans to pick
up Joseph Smith’s horse in Harmony
(PA), 425; signs agreement with Jo¬
seph Sr. to divide revenue from
Book of Mormon sales, 427, 428;
sued by Abner F. Lakey and James S.
Stoddard, 428; baptism, 364, 364n5,
364n6, 430; receives priest’s license,
349; receives revelation (through Jo¬
seph Smith) to sell property, 429-30;
receives letter from Joseph Smith in
Ohio, 454; visits Charles Butler for
loan, 454; sells farm to Thomas
Lakey, 454; leads group to Ohio, 456

—activities, Harmony (PA): takes Book
of Mormon characters to scholars,

78, 98, 102, 107, 112, 115, 131, 154,
159n3, 167, 177, 183n6, 186, 188,
196, 407; travels to with wife, 407;
works as Joseph Smith’s scribe
(1828), 21, 21n8, 26, 40, 76, 188,
408; comments on Book of Mormon
translation, 273, 273n7, 329; switches
Joseph Smith’s seer stone with an¬
other, 188; handles covered plates,
141; visits Joseph Smith with request
to see plates, 413

—activities, Fayette (NY): vision of an¬
gel and gold plates (June 1829), 3, 9,
113, 134, 146, 155-56, 217, 220,

421; views plates separately from Da¬
vid Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery,
32, 32nl9, 38-39, 39n6, 44, 85, 113,
116, 134, 134n3, 345; gives descrip¬
tion of plates that differs from David
Whitmer’s, 14; gives description of
vision that differs from that of David
Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery, 44;
describes vision of plates in meta¬
physical terms, 38, 193, 347
Harris, Peter, 424

Harris, Preserved, 372, 372n38, 405, 453
Harrisburg, Dauphin County (PA), 9, 22,
73, 130, 211, 247nl
Hart, James H., 95-110
Hatch, Ebenezer, 435
Hebrew, 131
Hendrix, Daniel, 298n2
Herrick, William S., 318, 318n7
high council, 231
high counselor(s), 206, 206n32
high priest(s), 23, 93, 203, 204, 206,

206n31, 255, 308

high priesthood, 11, 69, 141, 180, 203, 206;

president of, 206, 206n32
Hindee, Daniel, 388
Hine, W. R., 155n20, 401
History of Seneca County (NY), 285, 331-32
Hittites, 290, 290n22
Holman, W. A., 70
Holman, W. R., 71
Hooper, Pontius, 296
Howe, Eber D., 13-14, 200n25, 305, 452
Hubble, Janie, 182
Hubble, Martin J., 182-92
Hudson (MI), 287
Hughes, C. J., 70
Hughes, J. S., 70
Hughes, James, 70
Hulett, Francis, 283nl7
Humphrey, Solomon, 372, 372n34
Huntingdon County (England), 95
Hurlbut, Jeremiah, 385-90

471

INDEX

Hurlbut, Samuel, 267
Hussee, Isaac, 424
Hyde Park (UT), 193

Illinois, 25, 54, 148

Independence, Jackson County (MO), 15,
25, 59, 93, 119n2, 128, 161, 168, 244,
327

Ingersoll, Peter, 402, 406
Instructor , 148nl5, 187
interpreters. See urim and thummim
Ithaca (NY), 454
Ivins, Stanley S., 267

Jackson, John, 247nl
Jackson, Sarah, 247nl
Jackson County (MO), 11, 37n2, 73, 211,
211n2, 231, 241n2, 249
Jackways, William, 388
Jacobs, Henry C., 336, 337, 337n4
Jahn, Johann, 326n5
Jaredite(s), 21, 329
Jennings, Samuel, 389, 390, 392
Jenson, Andrew, 226, 251, 261-63, 336
Jenson, M. Minerva, 336
Jerusalem, 21, 154, 156, 163, 184, 184n9,
206

Jerusalem Church, 282, 284
Jessee, Dean C., 283nl6
John the Baptist (as an angel), 137, 329,
329n9, 415
Johnson, Dr., 260
Johnson, James Edward, 247nl
Johnson, Joe, 212, 212n3
Johnson, Marie Louise (Cowdery), 95, 260
Jolly, Elizabeth, 4, 283, 283nl5, 293, 365,
431

Jolly, Harriet, 366, 432
Jolly, John, 366, 432
Jolly, Julia Ann. See Whitmer, Julia Ann
(Jolly)

Jolly, Vincent, 4, 293, 365, 431
Jolly, William, 4, 11, 283, 283nl5, 284,

293, 332, 365, 431
Jolly family, 282, 295
Josephites, 141, 188
Journal and Courier , 109
Junius, Seneca County (NY), 298, 332

Kansas City (MO), 114, 166, 167, 190
Kansas City Journal : interviews with David
Whitmer, 72-80; David Whitmer writes
to, complaining of errors, 81-82
Kelley, Edmund L.: writes to David

Whitmer, 117; receives letter from Da¬
vid Whitmer, 117-18
Kelley, William H., 89-94, 123, 125, 128,
223

Kendig, Daniel S., 285, 331, 331nl
Kendig Creek, 284, 284nl8, 294, 294nl4,
296

Kerr, C. W., 247nl
Kime, Edna, 297nl

Kingdom, Seneca County (NY), 289nl3,
296-97, 297nl, 297n3, 298, 299. See also
Waterloo, Seneca County (NY)

Kingston (Ontario, Canada), 199nl8, 258,
259nll, 328n8, 334, 334n5, 340, 428
Kingston (MO), 245
Kingston Times , 62
Kinney, Jonathan, 381
Kirtland (OH), 65, 66, 79, 82, 86, 128, 140,
156, 173, 188, 196, 203, 210, 216, 217,
231, 239, 259, 313, 332, 336, 338, 339,
445, 448, 452-53, 454; banking crisis,

11, 141; David Whitmer moves to, 11,
211, 211nl; John Whitmer writes from,
453; Joseph Smith arrives in, 453; Joseph
Smith moves to, 5, 203, 295, 324, 450;
Oliver Cowdery writes from, 446, 448;
said by Sidney Rigdon to be promised
land, 310, 313n3; Sidney Rigdon returns
to, 453

Knight, Elizabeth, 371, 371n31, 446
Knight, Joseph, Jr., 367, 434, 440

472

INDEX

Knight, Joseph, Sr., 364n6, 374n53, 400,
401, 406, 435, 446, 452; baptism by Oli¬
ver Cowdery, 367, 434; hires legal
counsel for Joseph Smith, 435; Joseph
Smith works for (1826-27), 401; receives
revelation through Joseph Smith, 417;
takes supplies to Joseph Smith in Har¬
mony (PA), 417; visited by Joseph Sr.
and Samuel Smith, 412; visited by Jo¬
seph Jr., who asks for money, 412; is vis¬
iting Smiths when Joseph Jr. obtains the
gold plates, 403, 404; visits Palmyra/
Manchester with Joseph Smith (January
1830), 428; (March-April 1830), 429-30;
visits Joseph Smith in Harmony, 414
Knight, Nahum, 374, 374n53, 374n54
Knight, Newel, 367nl6, 370n29, 370n30,
371n31, 435, 436, 440, 442, 443, 444,
449, 453, 454; attends conference (26
September 1830), 351, 442; baptism by
David Whitmer, 365, 365n9, 432; bap¬
tizes Emer Harris, 373n40; exorcized by
Joseph Smith, 431, 436; faints, 433;
Hyrum Smith and family move in with,
312n2, 443; ordained a priest by Oliver
Cowdery, 351; transports Joseph and
Emma Smith to Fayette (September
1830), 4; visits Joseph Smith in Har¬
mony (PA), 439-40, 441
Knight, Polly, 367, 434
Knight, Polly (Peck), 367, 434, 446
Knight, Sally (Colburn), 367, 367nl6,
371n31, 371n33, 434, 439-40, 441
Knight, Thankful, 374, 374n54

Lafity, Dr., 240
Lakey, Abner F., 428, 447
Lakey, Thomas, 454, 455
Lamanites, 120, 181, 235, 275
Lambert, Joseph R., 119n2
Lamoni (IA), 127
Lancashire (England), 93
Lane, Jesse, 439
Lansing, Richard R., 167, 419
Lavonia (NY), 404

Lawrence, Samuel, 396, 400, 404

Lebanon (NH), 382, 383

Lenawee County (MI), 295

Levites, 290, 290n22

Lewis, David, 336-39

Lewis, Hiel, 409

Lewis, Joseph, 409

Lewis, Lemuel, 336, 336n3

Lewis, Sophia, 408-409

Lewis, Weighty Selecta (Stanton), 336-37

Lewis, William, 250-51

Lexington (KY), 336

Lexington (MO), 89, 111, 113, 161-62, 165
liahona (director, compass), 29, 32, 43, 48,
51, 77, 91, 113, 116, 121, 160, 162,

163, 177, 187
Liahona , 145nl3
Lilly, Asa, 388
Lindsay, Martin L., Jr., 336
Liverpool (England), 111, 187
Livoma (NY), 435, 438, 444, 447
Logan Journal , 187
London (England), 95
Los Angeles (CA), 54, 57
Loveland, Otis, 397
Luther, Martin, 270
Lutherans, 270, 276
Lyons (NY), 303, 413, 455

Macedon, Wayne County (NY), 323n8,
453; baptisms in, 372; Joseph and Emma
visit, 443, Joseph Smith works in, 403
Mack, Almira, 311, 368, 368nl9, 373n42
Mack, Daniel, 380
Mack, Jason, 379
Mack, Lydia, 387
Mack, Orlando, 387
Mack, Solomon, Jr., 387, 451
Mack, Solomon, Sr., 380, 381, 391
Mack, Stephen, 311, 368nl9
Mack, Temperance, 311, 368nl9

473

INDEX

Manchester (NH), 377

Manchester, Ontario County (NY), 152,
152n8, 189, 210, 238nl3, 259nll, 305,
311, 368nl9, 383, 425, 426, 427, 428,
429, 420, 437, 444, 447; baptisms, 353,
364, 370, 374, 430, 444; branch of
church, 201; church organized in (April
1830), 4, 22, 22nl4, 363; eight witnesses
see gold plates, 421-22; formerly called
Farmington, then Burt (1821-22), 391-
92, 393; hill Cumorah located in, 19, 78;
Hyrum Smith taxed, 436; Hyrum Smith
moves from (September/October 1830),
4; Joseph Jr. and Emma move to (1827),
401; Joseph Jr. finds gold plates (1823),
273, 394; Joseph Jr. persecuted, 20; Jo¬
seph Jr. moves from (December 1827),
20, 20n7; Joseph Jr. receives revelation
to sell copyright of Book of Mormon in
Canada, 258, 428; Lamanite mission
launched from, 444-45; Lucy Smith
moves from (November 1830), 296;
Oliver Cowdery boards with Smiths,
152n7; Parley Pratt arrives, 316, 439;
Smith property assessed (1821-29), 392,
393; Smiths build cabin and move onto
property (1822/23), 18, 18nl; Smiths
purchase land (1820/21), 391; Smiths
enumerated in 1820 census, 391

Mandeville (MO), 61

Markel, Jake, 287n3

Markel, John, 287, 287n3

Marks, David, 303-304, 430

Marks, S. R., 222-23

Merrimack River, 377

Marsh, Elizabeth (Godkin), 368, 368-69n21

Marsh, Thomas B., 54, 217, 368, 368n20,
369n21, 425, 439, 455

Marshall, Elihu F„ 418
Marshall, William, 140, 140nl
Marshall, William A., 287
Mason county (KY), 126n2
Massachusetts, 425
Matthews, Robert J., 433
McAuley, Thomas, 424

McDowell, J. Frank, 223
McGinnis, Thomas, 71
McIntosh, Alexander, 395
McIntyre, Alexander, 447
McKinstry, Mrs., 67, 67n8
McKune, Joseph, Jr., 452
McLellin, William E., 260, 334, 334n8;
comments on Smith’s Canadian revela¬
tion, 199nl9, 259nll, 334-35, 335nll,
340, 341; comments on alterations to Jo¬
seph Smith’s revelations, 335; joins Da¬
vid Whitmer’s splinter church, 11; ques¬
tions Joseph Smith’s and Oliver Cow-
dery’s claims to angelic ordinations, 329,
329n9, 415; receives letters from Eliram
Page, 255-56, 257-59; records David
Whitmer’s testimony, 216, 220; writes
to Joseph Smith III, 327-30
Mayer, Lewis, 270, 278, 278n23
Melchizedek priesthood, 136, 136nn6-7,
180, 207, 227
Mennonites, 278
Mentor (OH), 447
mesmerism, 63

Messenger and Advocate, 231, 239
Metcalf, Anthony, 10, 193
Metcalf neighborhood, 381
Methodist(s), 10, 63, 278, 396, 401, 409
Michigan, 66, 128, 140, 287
Millennial Star, 185, 187
Miller, Dr., 171
Miller, Martin, 294
Miner’s Hill (Manchester, NY), 39n7
“Missionaries Covenant,” 445, 447
Missouri, 11, 42n4, 54, 56, 95, 126n2, 130,
164, 174, 174n5, 217, 231, 233, 255,
309, 312, 312n2, 313n3, 348
Mitchell, Peter, 396
Mitchell, Samuel L., 78, 102, 107, 131,
131n22

Moabites, 290, 290n22
Mohammed, 18
Monterey (CA), 111

474

INDEX

Montrose (IA), 165
Moon, Henry, 218
Moravian Church, 294nl5
Morley, Isaac, 216
Mormon War, 184

Moroni, 55, 97, 99, 146, 152, 153, 224,
261, 263, 350nl8
Morris, Alvin L., 135
Morse, Michael, 60, 61, 409
Mortensen, A. Russell, 267
Mosby, W. W., 71
Mouch, S. T., 36, 72, 82nl, 222

Moyle, James Henry, 10, 12n2, 139-49,
166n3, 171

Mulder, William, 267
Muhin, EriB., 15-16
Murdock, Squire, 383

Murphy, John, interviews David Whitmer,
9-10, 62-64, 68, 69

Musselman, Mary. See Whitmer, Mary
(Musselman)

Nauvoo (IL), 128, 132, 173, 224, 291, 312,
332

Nauvoo House, 19n3, 111
Nebraska City (NE), 242
Neely, Albert, 400
Nelson (OH), 308, 309, 310
Nelson, Robert, 225
Nephi, 64, 256, 261

Nephite(s), 10, 11, 19, 31, 33, 85, 91, 120,
134, 152, 160, 163, 177, 196, 212, 215,
226, 248, 329, 432

Nevada, 128

Nevada County (CA), 119n2

Nevites, 290, 290n22

New England, 384

New Haven (CT), 109

New Jerusalem, 313n3

New Lebanon (NY), 318n7

New York, 4, 11, 21, 39, 73, 79, 83, 86,

101, 128, 132, 167, 292, 306n6, 307n7,
308, 309, 310, 313n3, 316, 320, 363
New York City, 49, 78, 102, 109, 131,

151, 159, 161, 183, 183n6, 186, 188,
196, 355, 391, 395, 407
New York Life Insurance and Trust Com¬
pany, 454

Noble, George H., 438, 439, 452
Noble, Joel K., 436
North Carolina, 148nl6
Norwich (VT), 383, 384

Ogden (UT), 36, 37, 165, 167
Ohio, 4, 128, 156, 231, 235, 237, 237nl2,
255, 283, 290, 305, 306, 307n7, 310,
311, 313n3, 323, 329n9, 359, 367nl6,
374n50, 375nn59-60, 452
Ohio Star, 308, 449
Omaha Herald, 171-81
Ontario County (NY), 18, 84, 133, 151,
209, 211

Ontario Phoenix, 455
Oregon, 128
Ovid (ID), 36, 247
Ovid (NY), 287n2

Page, Catharine (Whitmer), 4, 255, 283,
283nl4, 293, 365
Page, Ezra, 373

Page, Hiram, 186, 227, 251, 278, 282; at¬
tends church conference (9 June 1830),
350; baptism by Oliver Cowdery, 4,

255, 293, 364, 430; biographical data,
255; botanical doctor, 283; goes to Can¬
ada to sell Book of Mormon copyright,
198, 199nl8, 258-59, 334, 340-41, 428;
marriage, 283; preaching, 284; prophe¬
cies of, 199; reaffirms testimony of Book
of Mormon, 255-56; receives revelations
through seer stone, 255, 309-10; re¬
ceives teacher’s license, 350; revelations
denounced by Joseph Smith, 255, 442;
sees angel, 256; withdraws from church,
255; witness of Book of Mormon (one

475

INDEX

of eight), 11, 47, 53, 77, 161n5, 162,
238, 255, 310; writes to William
McLellin, 255-56, 257-59
Page, Katharine, 430
Page, Mary, 4, 293nll, 365n7, 430
Page, Philander, 47, 47n21, 53, 161n5,
162n7, 180-81, 186, 186n2, 227, 251
Painesville (OH), 448
Painesville Telegraph , 452, 453
Palmer, W. M., 222

Palmyra, Wayne County (NY), 3, 22, 74,
84, 117, 133, 176, 176nl3, 183, 187,
189, 190, 191, 212, 259nll, 285n22,
286, 287, 297, 298, 331, 340, 383, 387,
399, 400, 401, 407, 424, 425, 427, 429,
430, 447, 453, 454; baptisms, 372, 374;
Book of Mormon printed, 3, 4, 21n9,

86, 125, 128, 130, 293; church meet¬
ings, 433; Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith
form partnership with Jeremiah Hurlbut,
385; Joseph Jr. confronts Abner Cole,
428; Joseph Sr.’s cabin mentioned in
1820 road survey, 390; Joseph Sr., Alvin,
and Hyrum Smith appear on road lists
(1817-22), 385, 388, 390, 392, 393;

Lucy Smith (brother of Joseph Jr.) born,
392, 394; religious revival (1824-25),
390, 396; Sidney Rigdon visits en route
to Fayette (NY), 235-36, 236n8; Sidney
Rigdon preaches in, 451; Smiths live at
west end of Main Street, 385, 388;
Smiths move south to Samuel Jennings’s
property, 389, 390; Smiths first move to
(1816), 18, 18nl, 384-85
Palmyra Reflector , 425, 426, 428, 453
Palmyra Young Men’s Library Society, 451
Paris (IL), 216, 220

Parkman, Geauga County (OH), 283nl6
Partridge, Edward, Jr., 359
Partridge, Edward, Sr., 5, 241n2; arrives in
Fayette (NY) with Sidney Rigdon, 4,

86, 196, 203, 235-36, 305, 312n2, 359,
449; baptism, 235n7, 359, 450; receives
a revelation through Joseph Smith, 449;
ordained an elder, 235n7, 359
Peck, Electa (Buck), 371, 371n29

Peck, Ezekiel, 371, 371n29
Peck, Hezekiah, 367, 374n55, 434
Peck, Martha (Long), 367, 374n55, 434
Peck, Phebe (Crosby), 374, 374n56
Peck, Reed, 374, 374n55
Pennsylvania, 4, 51, 54, 75, 151, 209, 231,
271, 277, 293, 337, 373, 373n40, 424
Perkins, Professor, 382
Peter, James, and John (angels), 218, 227,
329n9, 436
Peters, Absalom, 448
Peters, James H., 221

Peterson, Ziba, attends conference (9 June
1830), 349; baptism by Oliver Cowdery,
4, 293nl2, 365, 365n8, 431; an elder,
349; mission to Indians in Ohio and
Missouri, 79, 82, 234, 445; prophecies
of, 199; receives elder’s license, 350
Phelps (NY), 303

Phelps, William W., 59n3, 59n4, 231, 313,
314, 326n5, 407, 450, 452-53, 455
Philadelphia (PA), 25, 42n4, 183, 183n6
Philadelphia Press, 171n2
Pierce, Helen Marr, 25
Pierce, Nathan, 427, 432, 433, 438, 441,
443, 446

Plano (IL), 128, 242, 249
plates (of brass), 32, 43, 50, 77, 91, 99, 160,
177, 213

plates (of gold), 127, 133, 146, 152n7, 153,
155, 272, 298, 402; appearance and di¬
mensions, 13-14, 20, 38, 78, 85, 131,
152, 184, 210, 245, 248, 288, 326; bur¬
ied in stone box (casket), 19, 24, 24nl8,
78, 85; handled by Casper Yost, 288; by
Josiah Stowell, 404; by William and
Katharine Smith, 404; hidden in coo¬
per’s shop, 405; in Whitmer family barn,
45, 52; under hearth, 405; in custody of
angel, 13, 166; Isaac Hale forbids Joseph
Smith from keeping them in his home,
406; Joseph Smith discovers (1823), 3,
18, 84, 133-34, 176, 209, 285n22, 292,
297, 304, 394-95; Joseph Smith removes
from hill (1827), 292-93, 403; Joseph

476

INDEX

Smith transcribes characters from, 20n7,
78, 107, 112-13, 115, 131, 154, 177,

186, 213, 249, 250, 407; kept in cave
near hill Cumorah, 39, 121; Lucy Harris
searches for, 407; not present during
translation, 15, 153nl3, 154nl6; a sealed
portion, 13, 38, 85, 134, 152, 160, 161,
164, 191, 192, 210, 245, 263n9, 290;
seen in vision by three witnesses, 3, 9,

13, 25-26, 32, 39, 135-36, 143, 155-56,
191, 193, 238, 308-309, 325-26, 345-
47; seen by eight witnesses, 39, 77, 238,
326, 421-22; taken from Joseph Smith
after loss of manuscript, 410; transported
to Fayette (NY) by angel, 75n9, 160,

166, 192; transported to Harmony (PA)
in barrel of beans, 406. See also Book of
Mormon

Plattsburg Democrat , 212, 212n3

Polo (MO), 62, 64, 69

polygamy, 23, 23nl7, 69, 90, 129, 132,

202, 209, 215, 281
Polynesia, 128

Pontiac (MI), 28, 163, 163n8, 311, 346
Poorman, John, 366, 373n45, 432
Poorman, Margaret, 373, 373n45
Porter, Larry C., 294nl4, 296, 299n8,
368-69n21, 369n25, 434
Potsdam, St. Lawrence County (NY), 438
Poulson, P. Wilhelm, 36-40, 247-49
Pratt, Chauncy, 269, 269n4
Pratt, Moroni, 222

Pratt, Orson, 60, 79; attends conference in
Fayette (NY), 323; baptized by brother
Parley Pratt, 318, 318n9, 368, 368nl8,
442; interviews David Whitmer, 41-57,
87, 104nl4, 120, 129, 142n8, 175-76,
215, 220, 345; joins Samuel Smith and
Joseph Coe in preparing church to move
to Ohio, 323, 372n36; mission to Coles-
ville (NY), 323, 449; ordained an elder
by Joseph Smith, 323, 323n3, 448; or¬
dained an apostle, 449; prophecies of,
199; receives revelation (through Joseph
Smith), 323, 323n3, 446; receives corre¬
spondence from Edward Stevenson, 31-

32; reminiscences, 322-24, 325-26; re¬
turns to Fayette with Hyrum Smith, 23,
449; travels with Samuel Smith to Ohio,
324; visits Fayette and meets Joseph
Smith, 295, 322, 445-46
Pratt, Parley P., 60, 372n35; baptized by
Oliver Cowdery 316, 316n3, 320, 368,
368nl7, 439, 441-42; baptizes converts
in Manchester (NY), 370n27, 444; bap¬
tizes in Fayette (NY), 317, 369; converts
and baptizes brother Orson Pratt, 318,
318n9, 322, 322nl, 442; meets Hyrum
Smith in Manchester, 316, 320; mission
to Indians in Ohio and Missouri, 79, 82,
86, 234, 445; ordained an elder, 316n3,
317, 321, 368nl7, 439; preaches in Fay¬
ette, 440, 441-42; prophecies of, 199;
sees unusual atmospheric phenomenon,
319; visits Fayette with Hyrum Smith,
316-19, 320, 438, 439
Pratt, Thankful (Halsey), 372, 372n35
Pratz, John, 373

Presbyterian(s), 86, 151, 156, 277, 278, 425,
429

priest(s), 141, 201, 206, 311, 349, 351, 352,
432

printer’s manuscript (of Book of Mormon).

See Book of Mormon
“Proclamation” (of David Whitmer), 10,

62, 68-71, 122
Proper, Dolly, 370, 370n28
Proper, George, 370n28
The Prophet , 312
Prussia, 9nl
Purple, W. D., 400

Quaker, 9, 63, 418
Quessenberry, J. P., 71
Quincy (IL), 241n2
Quinn, D. Michael, 270, 271, 272n3,
273n7, 274nl4, 278n23, 433
Quorum of Twelve, 25, 54, 188nl5, 241

Randolph (VT), 378

477

INDEX

Ravenna (OH), 308
Ray, Davies County (MO), 15
Ray County (MO), 157, 255
Rayburn, A. K., 71
Reed, John, 435, 436

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Lat¬
ter Day Saints, lln2, 15, 25, 89, 89n2,
93, 117, 119, 119n2, 123, 125, 127, 128,
129, 135, 173, 205, 234, 242, 244, 257,
355. See also Community of Christ
Revolutionary War, 151
Reynolds, Stanley I., 296nl
Richards, Charles C., 224
Richards, Franklin D., 161n5, 188, 224,

292, 292nl, 294nl7, 294nl8
Richards, Willard, 312, 384
Richmond, Ray County (MO), 22nl6,
42nn4-8, 56, 69, 126n2, 132, 133,

140nl, 217, 232; David Whitmer dies
in, 11, 215; David Whitmer writes from,
17; Great Cyclone of 1878, 41, 46, 49,
53, 79, 96, 98-99, 111, 114, 126, 147,
247-48; home of David Whitmer, 11,

17, 22, 23, 26, 28, 31, 33, 34, 37, 49,

58, 62, 70, 72, 83, 87, 89, 93, 97, 99,
110, 111, 114, 117, 118, 122, 123, 125,
126, 128, 129, 139, 140, 142, 144, 145,
147, 148, 150, 157, 158, 161, 163, 165,
168, 171, 172, 174, 175, 176, 180, 182,
185, 190, 208, 209, 211, 217, 218, 220,
221, 222, 226, 227, 260, 341; Jacob
Whitmer dies in, 37; Oliver Cowdery
dies in, 32, 50, 130, 175, 242-43
Richmond Conservator , 17, 22, 42n4, 183,

224

Richmond Democrat , 211-15
Richmond Whig , 42n4
Rigdon, Sidney, 5, 156, 282; arrives in
Fayette (NY) with Edward Partridge, 4,
86, 196, 203, 235-36, 295, 305, 312,
312n2, 359, 449; baptized by Oliver
Cowdery, 359, 447-48; believes Kirtland
to be promised land, 310, 313n3; briefly
excommunicated, 312; converted in
Ohio, 235; demands that John Whitmer
turn over church records, 233; letter of

introduction written by Oliver Cow¬
dery, 448; member of First Presidency,
312; member of secret Council of Fifty,
312; mentioned in Spaulding theory,
86-87, 156, 195-96; ordained an elder
by Oliver Cowdery, 235; ordains Ed¬
ward Partridge an elder, 450; preaches in
Fayette, 284, 288; in Canandaigua and
Palmyra, 451; writes letters to Ohio
Saints, 305-307, 451; preaches in Joseph
Knight’s barn, 452; in Waterloo before
leaving to Ohio, 453; public address re¬
garding activities in New York, 312-15;
receives revelation through Joseph
Smith, 236, 449; resented by David
Whitmer, 5, 180, 203-204, 207, 208;
visions of, 307, 307n7, 310, 313, 313n3;
visits branches of church with Joseph
Smith, 236, 450; visits Harmony (PA)
with Joseph Smith, 452; visits Colesville
(NY) with Joseph Smith, 237-38,
237nl2, 305, 450, 452; visits Palmyra
(NY) on way to Fayette, 235, 236n8;
wants Joseph Smith’s revelations pub¬
lished (1831), 334, 340

Riley, I. Woodbridge, 226, 355
Risley, Sarah (Sally), 374, 374n51
Roberts, B. H., 223-24
Robinson, Cains, 395, 408, 410
Robinson, Ebenezer, 348

Robinson, Gain, 391, 402, 407-408, 409,
411, 412, 413, 414

Robinson, Gracie, 135
Rochester (NY), 35, 418, 424
Rochester Union Advertiser , 289nl3
Rockwell, Caroline, 367
Rockwell, Electa, 367
Rockwell, Orin, 409, 411, 418-19
Rockwell, Orrin Porter, 367, 367nl4, 409,
411, 419

Rockwell, Sarah (Witt), 364, 364n6, 420,
430

Rogers, Mr., 413

Royalton (VT), 379, 380, 381, 387
Rumsey, John A., 287n3

478

INDEX

Sackett, Gary V., 296
Salisbury, Katharine (Smith), 366,

366nnl2-13, 382, 383, 403, 432, 438,
451

Salisbury, Wilkins Jenkins, 451

Salt Lake City (UT), 17, 31, 31nl8, 79,

106, 111, 125, 129, 139, 140, 157, 171,
172, 179, 200n25, 202, 214, 218, 261,
291, 292, 333, 336
Salt Lake Herald, 17
Salt Lake Tribune, 171n2
Saints’ Herald, lln2, 15, 25, 58, 60, 61, 66,
89, 93, 123, 127, 172, 173, 218, 219,
223, 245

Sandford, Broome County (NY), 434
Sandusky (OH), 188
Sandy Grove (TN), 34
Saranac (NY), 336, 337
Saunders, Benjamin, 397
Saunders, Enoch, 397
Saunders, Lorenzo, 24nl8, 74n6, 370n28,
397, 403, 411
Saunders, Orlando, 411
Schott, Anne. See Whitmer, Anne (Schott)
Schott, Elizabeth. See Whitmer, Elizabeth
(Schott)

Schott family, 281, 283, 285
Schroeder, Theodore A., 226, 333
Schweich, G. W. & Co., 41
Schweich, George W., 17, 42, 42n6, 43,

48, 49, 50, 53, 118, 157, 180, 226, 234,
341, 355

Schweich, Josephine, 50, 158
Schweich, Julia (Whitmer), 42n6, 74, 157
Scoby, William, 311, 373, 373n42
Scott, Walter, 290n21
Scribner’s Monthly, 65, 65nl
seer stone, 72; Book of Mormon translated
with, 15, 16, 27, 27n5, 134, 137-38,

169, 179, 293, 327, 329, 332; command
to baptize received through, 415; de¬
scription of, 60, 61, 76, 85, 134, 169,
179; given to Oliver Cowdery (ca. April
1830), 199-200, 207, 214, 430; Hiram

Page receives revelations through, 255,
309-10; obtained by Joseph Smith when
digging well for Willard Chase family,
393; ownership claimed by Chase, 393-
94, 400; a second (white) stone used by
Joseph Smith, 200n25; kept by Oliver
Cowdery, Cowdery’s widow, then
Phineas Young, 179, 179n22, 200n25,
214; not used after church organized,
199-200, 214, 328; placed in hat during
divination, 15, 21, 21nl0, 59, 60-61, 76,
82, 104-105, 108, 113, 138, 154nl5,
155, 169, 188, 196, 197, 198, 204, 227,
260, 323n3, 329, 332; referred to as “di¬
rector,” 260; revelations received
through, 198, 205, 206, 207, 207n33,
323n3; sometimes confused with urim
and thummim, 21nl0, 59, 85, 155; used
for treasure hunting, 297. See also urim
and thummim

Seneca (MO), 97
Seneca (NY), 130
Seneca Canal, 5

Seneca County (NY), 23, 78, 196, 211,
268nl, 270, 281, 282, 283, 316, 316n3,
320, 359

Seneca Falls (NY), 22, 130, 289, 296,

297n3, 298, 331, 331nnl-2
Seneca Falls Historical Society, 292
Seneca Farmer, 268nl

Seneca Lake, 3, 22, 73, 130, 455; baptisms
performed in, 3, 4, 9, 190, 231, 284nl8,
293, 294nl3, 316, 316n3, 320, 363n3,
364n7, 365n8, 365-66nll, 366nl2,
368nl7, 418, 431, 432, 439, 450

Seneca River, 22, 284nl8, 294nl4, 297nl
Seymour, James N., 219
Seymour, Zachariah, 391, 393, 394
Shady Grove (TN), 32
Sharon, Windsor County (VT), 18, 292,
379, 380
Shaw, S., 49
Shelby, O., 222
Shenandoah (IA), 242
Shendaken (NY), 303

479

INDEX

Sherer, John, 371n33, 448
Shiley, George, 282n8, 284, 284nl9
Shiley, Jacob, 281, 282, 282n8, 283, 284
Shurtliff, Lumon Andros, 216
Silver City (MO), 157
Silver Creek, 297, 297n3, 298
Skousen, Royal, 47n23, 112n2, 117-18n2,
156n23, 423nl2

Slade, Benjamin, 375, 375n58, 375n59
Slade, Mary (Molly), 374, 374n57
Slade, Molly, 375n58
Slade, Roxy, 375, 375n59
Slaughter, Lewis, 71
Smith, Alexander H., 123, 125, 128
Smith, Alvin, 378; appears on Palmyra road
list (1820-22), 390, 392, 393; becomes
sick and dies, autopsy performed, 395;
birth, 378; contracts (with father) for
Manchester land, 391; evades arrest, 389;
extended absence from Palmyra, 388-89;
forms partnership (with father) with Jer¬
emiah Hurlbut, 385; incurs debt with
Gain Robinson, 391; intended to ac¬
company brother Joseph to retrieve gold
plates, 394; Hurlbut issues complaint
against, 389; Joseph Sr. exhumes body
of, 396; partnership with Hurlbut dis¬
solves, 386-87, 387n6; runs store on
Main Street, 390; sued by Hurlbut, 389;
works to pay for property, 392
Smith, Alvin (infant of Emma and Joseph
Smith), 408-409
Smith, Anna C. (Wright), 244
Smith, Asael, Jr., 352
Smith, Asael, Sr., 377, 378, 420, 438, 446
Smith, Don Carlos, 366, 383, 422, 438, 448
Smith, Elias A., 352

Smith, Emma (Hale), 29, 33, 76, 120, 178,
262, 400, 433, 436, 437, 447; accompa¬
nies husband to South Bainbridge (NY),
401; accompanies husband to hill to ob¬
tain gold plates, 396; baptized by Oliver
Cowdery, 367, 434; confirmed in
church, 439; describes method of Book
of Mormon translation, 60-61, 329;

gives birth to infant that then dies, 408-
409; instructed to compile a hymnal,

437; joins husband in Fayette (June
1829), 45, 52, 55n28, 56, 105, 153,
153nl2, 417; Joseph Smith proposes
marriage to, marries, 401; moves with
husband to Manchester, 401; to Ohio, 5,
295, 453; to Fayette (September 1830),

4, 441-42; to Harmony (December
1827), 293, 406; says Joseph did not
know Jerusalem was walled, 21nll, 120,
184n9; says Joseph had limited educa¬
tion, 120; sent to retrieve husband from
Macedon (NY), 404; visits Manchester
(NY) with husband, 443; visits Harmony
(PA) with Joseph and Peter Ingersoll,
402; works as husband’s scribe, 40, 60-
61, 84, 105, 153, 210, 227, 406, 413,

448

Smith, Ephraim, 381

Smith, Frederick, 389

Smith, George A., 420, 438

Smith, Heman C., 219, 223, 244

Smith, Hyrum, 41n2, 175, 197, 198, 258,
312, 425, 428, 438, 439, 441, 454; ac¬
companies Martin Harris to Harmony
(PA), 407; appears on Palmyra (NY)
road list (1821), 392; appears as witness
in Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith vs. Jere¬
miah Hurlbut, 388; attends to Enoch
Saunders in last illness, 397; baptized by
brother Joseph, 3, 293, 363, 363n3, 418;
baptizes in Colesville, 369n23, 370n29,
370-7ln30, 371n31, 373n41, 444, 446,
453; believes brother Joseph will be rich,
411; birth, 378; borrows seer stone from
Willard Chase, 393-94, 396; confronta¬
tion with Willard Chase about seer
stone, 400, 431; discovers (with Oliver
Cowdery) Abner Cole’s plan to publish
extracts from Book of Mormon, 425-26;
founding member of church (one of six
elders), according to David Whitmer,

30, 32, 33, 78, 188, 189, 200, 293, 338;
handwriting on printer’s manuscript of
Book of Mormon, 29n6, 47n23, 112n2,
156n23; helps with printing of Book of

480

INDEX

Mormon, 422; holds meetings with
Newel Knight in Colesville, 444; holds
meetings with Knight and baptizes in
South Bainbridge, 444; incurs debt to
Lemuel Durfee, 402, 403; incurs debts
with Gain and Cains Robinson, 395,

408, 413, 413; incurs debt with Levi
Daggett, 430, 432; joins Presbyterian
Church, becomes lapsed, 396, 411, 429;
marries Jerusha Barden, 401; meets Par¬
ley Pratt and travels to Fayette (NY),

316, 320, 438, 439; meets Orson Pratt,
449; moves to Colesville (NY) with
family, 4, 312n2, 443, 446; ordained a
priest (9 June 1830), 349, 352, 432; par¬
ents and siblings move into cabin with,
414; preaches in Manchester (NY), 442;
receives revelation (through Joseph
Smith), 417; receives priest’s license,

349; receives letter from Uncle Jesse
Smith, 420; from Oliver Cowdery, 420;
receives commandment to move to
Colesville, 443; sued by Levi Daggett,
433, 434, 438, 441, 443, 446; taxed for
land in Manchester, 436; unclaimed let¬
ters of, 400; visits Harmony with David
Whitmer, 440; visits land agent regard¬
ing loss of property, 398-99; visits Coles¬
ville with brother Joseph and others,
440-41; visits Fayette with Orson Pratt,
323, 449; visits brother Joseph in Har¬
mony, 417; witness of Book of Mormon
(one of eight), 77, 238; works for Jere¬
miah Hurlbut in Palmyra, 385, 386;
works for Lemuel Durfee, 402, 409

Smith, Israel A., 123

Smith, Jerusha (Barden), 366, 401, 432, 438

Smith, Jesse, 378, 382, 420

Smith, Joseph, Jr., 82, 105, 127, 128, 143,
144, 147, 161, 182, 234n2, 241, 268,
278, 282, 313n3, 329n9, 384; “Author
and Proprietor” of Book of Mormon,
285; birth, 18, 292; commissions John
Whitmer to be first church historian,

233; commissions Whitmer family to
keep records, 46, 52; death, 54, 157,

291; description of, 87; designated an
elder, 348n3, 349, 350; designated first

elder, 353, 356, 357; devil appears to,
309; did not know Jerusalem had walls,
21, 120, 154, 184, 184n9; first tailored
suit given to by Christian Whitmer, 87;
founder of church, 18, 292, 298, 331;
gives seer stone to Oliver Cowdery,
199-200, 207, 214, 430; gives printer’s
manuscript to Oliver Cowdery, 120;
“juggling arts,” 13; limited education,
120; obtains copyright to Book of Mor¬
mon in Utica (NY), 419; one of original
six elders, 30, 32, 33, 78, 188, 189, 200,
293, 338; revision of Bible, 231, 305,
424, 433, 445, 446, 448, 449-50; says
some revelations of God, some of the
devil, and some of man, 199, 200, 202;
seer stone used for translation, 15, 27n5,
329, 332; tells David Whitmer man on
road is a Nephite, 30, 33, 44-45, 51-52,
55-56, 187, 189, 191, 192; unable to
pronounce Book of Mormon names, 21,
12, 154, 255-56; use of mineral rod, 18;
visits cave in hill Cumorah with Oliver
Cowdery, 34-35; visits Pontiac (MI), 28;
white second seer stone, 200n25

—activities, Vermont and New Hamp¬
shire: birth, 379, 380; attends school
in Royalton (VT), 381; leg operation
in Lebanon (NH), 282

—activities, Palmyra/Manchester (NY),
445, 447; moves to Palmyra with
parents (1816/17), 18, 292, 384-85;
works for Jeremiah Hurlbut, 386;
studies Bible and investigates
churches, 387; appears as witness in
Joseph Sr. and Alvin Smith vs. Jere¬
miah Hurlbut, 387-88; first vision,
390; leads money-digging group,

390; shot at, 390; missing from 1820
census, 391; speaks as a Methodist
exhorter, 350nl8; obtains brown seer
stone while digging well on Chase
property (1822), 393; moves with
family onto Manchester land (1822/
23), 393; sees angel (1823), 19, 75,
78, 131, 257, 272, 288, 297, 394;
finds plates on Manchester hill, 18,

19, 84, 152, 176, 209, 288, 297,

481

INDEX

394-95; attacked by angel, 19-20; in¬
structed by angel to return next year
with brother Alvin, 394; returns to
hill without Alvin, fails to obtain
gold plates (1824), 395-96; attends
religious revival, interest in Method¬
ism increased, 396; fails to get gold
plates (1825), 397; hired by Josiah
Stowell as seer to find Spanish mine
in Harmony (PA), 397; returns to
Manchester with father, 399; returns
to South Bainbridge with father, 399;
visits hill and fails to get gold plates
(1826), 400; unclaimed letters of,

400, 405; refuses to return seer stone
to Willard Chase, 400; with new
wife, Emma, moves to parents’ home
in Manchester (1827), 401; pays debt
to Abraham Fish, 401; works for
Lemuel Durfee, 402; visits hill and
removes gold plates (1827), 292-93,
403; hides gold plates in woods, 404;
visits cabinet maker, 404; works for
widow in Macedon, 403; brings gold
plates home, is attacked and injures
thumb, 404; hides gold plates under
hearth, 405; in cooper’s shop, 405;
breaks promise to share profits with
others, 103, 107; persecution, 20,

441; works with father on farm, 405;
sends mother to ask for Martin Har¬
ris’s help, 405; moves to Harmony
(PA) with Emma (December 1827),
405; returns to inquire about Martin
Harris and Book of Mormon manu¬
script, 410; Lucy Harris brings suit
against (in Lyons), 413; returns to ne¬
gotiate printing of Book of Mormon
(June 1829), 3, 418; oversees initial
stages of printing (July 1829), 4,

21n9, 273, 421-22, 424; shows eight
witnesses the gold plates, 39, 43, 238,
326, 421-22; writes preface to Book
of Mormon, 423; returns to confront
Abner Cole about printing portions
of Book of Mormon, 259nll, 427-
28; visits, accompanied by Joseph
Knight (March-April 1830), 429;

visits, accompanied by wife, Emma
(October 1830), 443; meets William
W. Phelps, 450

—activities, Harmony (PA), 4; arrives
with Josiah Stowell, Joseph Sr., and
others and lodges with Isaac Hale
(1825), 398; moves to (December

1827) , 20, 20n7, 292-93; forms
money-digging company, 398; re¬
turns with Samuel Lawrence, 400;
leaves with Emma Hale while her
father, Isaac, attends church, 401; vis¬
its, accompanied by wife and Peter
Ingersoll and has confrontation with
father-in-law, 402; moves to with
wife (December 1827), 406; moves
onto farm, 406; taxed for property,
407, 412; begins translation of Book
of Mormon, wife serves as scribe,

406; transcribes ancient characters
from gold plates, 20n7, 102, 107,

112, 115, 131, 154, 177, 186, 213,
249, 250, 407; gives Martin Harris
transcribed characters to take to
scholars, 407; continues translation
with Martin Harris as scribe (April

1828) , 3, 20, 20n7; translates with
seer stone, 293; allows Harris to take
translation manuscript (June 1828),

15, 76-77, 178-79, 257, 327, 408;
loses gold plates and urim and thum-
mim, 154, 155, 183, 210, 327, 410;
re-obtains gold plates, 183n7, 210,
327, 327n4; briefly attends Methodist
class, 409; visited by parents, 410,

411; visited by Martin Harris who re¬
quests to see gold plates, 413; Joseph
Knight and wife visit, 414; Oliver
Cowdery and Samuel Smith arrive
(April 1829), 9, 74, 414; enters into
agreement with Isaac Hale for prop¬
erty, 414; begins to dictate Book of
Mormon to Oliver Cowdery, 414;
makes payments on land, 415, 431,
434, 438-39; discerns Oliver Cow-
dery’s private thoughts, 9, 44, 51,

103, 107, 415; baptized by Cowdery,
137nl0, 329, 363, 415-16; ordained

482

INDEX

(with Cowdery) by John the Baptist,
329, 329n9, 415; Joseph Knight
brings supplies, 417; Hyram visits,
417; persecution, 3, 4, 54; follows
David Whitmer’s movements (with
seer stone?), 21-22, 44, 51, 54-55,
104, 107, 169, 187, 189, 190; meets
David Whitmer (June 1829), 20, 44;
leaves with Cowdery and Whitmer
(June 1829), 9, 10, 44-45, 417; re¬
turns to (October 1829), 21n9, 424;
writes to Cowdery, 425; receives let¬
ter from Cowdery, 526; land assessed,
426, 449; returns to (June 1830),

433; copies and arranges revelations
with help from John Whitmer,

306n4, 437; receives letter from
Cowdery demanding change in reve¬
lation, 437; enumeration in 1830
census, 437; incurs debt with George
Noble, 438; writes (with John Whit¬
mer) to Colesville Saints explaining
delay in visiting, 439; visited by
Newel Knight and wife, 439-40; re¬
turns to visit, accompanied by Sidney
Rigdon, 452

—activities, South Bainbridge (NY): ar¬
rives with father and Josiah Stowell
(1825), 398; returns to with father,
399; attends school, 399; is arrested
and tried (1826), 399-400; flees and is
re-arrested, 400; marries Emma Hale
(1827), 401; buys horse from Josiah
Stowell, 424, 435; is arrested and
tried (1830), 435-36

—activities, Colesville (NY): works for
Joseph Knight in (1827-27), 401; vis¬
its Joseph Knight to ask for money,
412; performs exorcism on Newel
Knight, 431, 436; arrives with others
for baptismal meeting, 434; is arrested
and tried (1830), 435-36; escapes and
flees to Harmony (PA), 436; receives
(with Oliver Cowdery) ordination by
Peter, James, and John, 436-37; con¬
firms members of church, 369n23,
440-41; visits, accompanied by Sid¬

ney Rigdon, 237-38, 237nl2, 305,
452

—activities, Fayette, 262, 281, 272-73,
296-97 298, 337, 338, 338nl0, 432,
445; possible early contact and mon¬
ey digging in, 287-88, 297, 298, 331;
transported to (with Oliver
Cowdery) by David Whitmer (June
1829), 3, 9, 10, 21-22, 21n9, 31nl3,
51-52, 55-56, 75-76, 103-104, 136-
37, 152n7, 153, 160, 166, 187, 192,
212, 261, 262, 417; says man on road
is angel transporting plates to Cumo-
rah, 30-31, 44-45, 51-52, 55-56,

160, 187, 189, 191, 192; translates
Book of Mormon (June 1829), 3, 59,
212, 288, 293, 331-32, 417, 419;
baptizes converts, 9, 200, 293, 298,
336, 337, 365-66nll, 418; com¬
manded to ordain Oliver Cowdery
an elder, 136, 136n7, 137, 337, 419;
present when three witnesses see an¬
gel and gold plates, 29, 32, 34, 39,
50-51, 77, 100, 115-16, 121, 134,
146, 155-56, 160, 163, 176-77, 187,
212-13, 325, 345; completes transla¬
tion of Book of Mormon, 3, 9, 21,

21 n9, 273, 293, 421; attends confer¬
ence (June 1830), 349, 350; ap¬
pointed leader of conference,

350-51; transported to by Newel
Knight and moves in with Whitmers
(September 1830), 4, 21n9, 295,
368nl9, 441-42; denounces Hiram
Page’s revelations, 255, 442; attends
conference (September 1830),
350-51; visited by Peter Bauder, 445;
meets Orson Pratt, 322-23, 445-46;
ordains Orson Pratt an elder, 323,
448; sends Orson Pratt on mission to
Colesville with letter of introduction,
449; meets Sidney Rigdon and Ed¬
ward Partridge (December 1830),
235, 312n2, 359, 449; receives reve¬
lation to visit branches of church
with Sidney Rigdon, 236-37; attends
conference (January 1831), 237;
preaches in, 284, 299, 350; preaches

483

INDEX

in nearby Waterloo, 312; receives
letter from John Whitmer, 453; con¬
firms Almira Mack as member of
church, 368nl9; moves to Ohio
from (January 1831), 5, 295, 453

—activities, Ohio: moves to (January
1831), 5, 324, 453; writes to Martin
Harris, 454; efforts to publish revela¬
tions, 334, 340

—revelations, 3, 4, 23, 32, 76, 172, 197,
201, 205, 206, 207, 231, 233, 240,
255, 305, 305nl, 306n5, 345, 437,
445; calling of twelve apostles, 419;
dispute about biblical apostle John,
415; for Joseph Knight, 417; Joseph
Smith Sr., 413; Sidney Rigdon and
Edward Partridge, 236, 449; Orson
Pratt, 323, 323n3, 446; Martin Har¬
ris, 413; Hyrum Smith, 417; Ezra
Thayre and Northrup Sweet, 445;
regarding compilation of hymnal,

437; Hiram Page’s revelations, 442;
James Covill, 372n37, 451; Lamanite
mission, 351, 443, 444; lost manu¬
script, 417; Oliver Cowdery’s desire
to translate, 415; Oliver Cowdery’s
private thoughts, 415; ordination of
elders, 419; re-baptism, 430-31; relo¬
cation to Colesville (Hyrum Smith)
and Waterloo (parents), 443; reloca¬
tion to Ohio, 237, 305, 306, 306n6,
351, 351n29, 451; sale ofBook of
Mormon copyright in Canada, 180,
197-99, 199nl8, 258-59, 259nll,
328, 328n8, 329, 333-34, 340-41,
428; sale of Martin Harris farm,
333n2, 429-30; three witnesses, 345,
421; transportation of recorded reve¬
lations to Missouri by John Whitmer,
238; trip to Colesville with Sidney
Rigdon, 450; use of wine, 439; des¬
ignation (of Joseph Smith, Jr.) to re¬
ceive for church, 351; prophecy of
Enoch, 236, 449-50; publication re¬
sisted by David Whitmer, 9, 15-16,
206, 334, 334n8

Smith, Joseph, Sr., 258, 259nll, 431;

one of eight witnesses, 77, 238; suf¬
fers from “nervous affection,” 420

—activities, Massachusetts/Vermont/
New Hampshire: birth (MA), 377;
baptized as infant, 377; marriage,

377; lives in Tunbridge (VT), 378;
helps found Universalist Society in
Tunbridge, 378; possibly joins Ana¬
baptist Society in Tunbridge, 378;
moves to Randolph (VT) and opens
merchandising business, 378-79; fi¬
nancially ruined by investment swin¬
dle, 379; returns to Tunbridge, 379;
moves to Royalton (VT), 379; wit¬
nesses land transactions in Sharon
(VT), 380; moves to Sharon, 379;
teaches school, 380; witness in coun¬
terfeiting scheme, 380; returns to
Tunbridge, 380; witness to land
transaction in Tunbridge, 380; re¬
turns to Royalton, 380-81; engages
in merchandising, 381; taxed in Roy¬
alton, 381; first dream/vision, 381;
moves to Lebanon (NH), 382; taxed
in Lebanon, 382-83; second dream/
vision, 382-83; moves to Norwich
(VT), 383; experiences crop failures
three consecutive years, 383-84; third
dream/vision, 383-84; is warned out
in Norwich, 383

—activities, New York: moves to Pal¬
myra (1816), 18nl, 384, 424; locates
family at west end of Main Street,
385, 388; appears on Palmyra road
lists (1817-22), 385, 388, 390, 392,
393; forms partnership (with son
Alvin) with Jeremiah Hurlbut, 385;
sixth dream/vision, 385; incurs debt
with Hurlbut, 385, 386; partnership
dissolves, 386-87, 387n6; sues Hurl¬
but and wins judgement, 387-88;
moves family south to Samuel Jen¬
nings’s property, 285n22, 389, 390;
complaint issued against by Hurlbut,
389; sued by Hurlbut, 389; seventh
dream/vision, 389-90; contracts
(along with son Alvin) for Manches¬
ter land (1820/21), 18nl, 391; ap-

484

INDEX

pears in property assessments for
Manchester (1821-29), 392, 393;
owes Jennings, 392; unable to make
last payment on property, 393, 394;
completes cabin and moves family
onto Manchester property (1822/23),
393; begins constructing frame house
(November 1823), 395; incurs debts
with Gain and Cains Robinson, 395,
397, 402, 403, 407, 410, 411, 412;
pays debts to Robinsons, 408, 410,
413; exhumes Alvin’s body with help
from neighbors, 396; sued by Russell
Stoddard, who wins judgement
(1825), 396-97; attends to Enoch
Saunders in last illness, 397; accom¬
panies (with son Joseph Jr.) Josiah
Stowell to South Bainbridge, 398;
arrives with others in Harmony (PA)
and lodges with Isaac Hale (1825),
398; helps form money-digging com¬
pany, 398; frame house completed in
absence of, 398; Russell Stoddard
obtains deed to Smith property in
absence of, 398; returns to Manches¬
ter, 399; loses land to Lemuel Durfee
and becomes renter, 399, 401; re¬
turns with son Joseph Jr. to South
Bainbridge, 399; incurs debt to Lem¬
uel Durfee, 402, 408, 409, 413, 418-
19, 424; works for Durfee, 402, 409,
410-11; sent to spy on neighbors,

404; visits Martin Harris to ask for
money, 407; visits (with wife, Lucy)
son Joseph Jr. in Harmony, 410, 411;
visits (with son Samuel Smith) Joseph
Knight in Colesville (NY), 412; sent
to bring Joseph Jr. back to Palmyra
over Abner Cole’s copyright in¬
fringement, 426, 427-28; signs agree¬
ment to divide revenue from Book
of Mormon sales with Martin Harris,
427, 428; pays debt to Michael Eg¬
gleston, 427; sued (with Abraham
Fish) by Lemuel Durfee, Jr., 427,

432; baptism, 352, 364, 364n6, 430;
attends church conference (June
1830), 350, 352; ordained a priest (9

June 1830), 349, 352, 432; receives
priest’s license, 5, 350, 352-53; enu¬
meration in 1830 Manchester census,
437-38; visits relatives in St. Law¬
rence County (NY), 438; receives
commandment to move to Waterloo,
443; arrested and imprisoned (No¬
vember 1830), 312n2, 446-47, 450;
speaks with Eli Bruce, 447; released
from prison, 449; baptizes two in
Canandaigua, 37ln32; joins Lucy in
Fayette/Waterloo, 450

Smith, Joseph, III, 61, 119, 125, 127, 130,
172, 199nl9, 249; interviews David
Whitmer, 123-24, 221-22; receives let¬
ter from David Whitmer, 219; receives
letter from William McLellin, 327-30,
335nll

Smith, Joseph F., 79, 147; denies offering
David Whitmer money for Book of
Mormon manuscript, 46n20; interviews
Whitmer, 41-57, 48n24, 87, 104nl4,
129, 142n8, 149, 175, 220, 345

Smith, Katharine. See Salisbury, Katharine
(Smith)

Smith, Lovina (Hyrum’s daughter), 403,

439

Smith, Lucy (Mack), 5, 32nl9, 137nl0,

183, 248n3, 259nll, 311, 311n2, 345-
46, 368nl9, 371n32, 372nn38-39, 378,
382, 383, 384, 385, 392, 393, 399, 403,
404, 406, 407, 408, 409, 413, 416, 422,
428, 438, 443, 444, 446, 449, 450, 453

—activities, Vermont/New Hampshire,
387; birth (NH), 377; marriage, 377;
lives in Tunbridge (VT), 378; gives
birth to unnamed child that dies,
gives birth to Alvin, Hyrum, 378;
moves to Randolph (VT), 378; sick
with “consumption,” 379; moves
back to Tunbridge, 379; gives birth
to Sophronia, 379; visited by Jason
Mack, 379; moves to Royalton (VT),
379; moves to Sharon (VT), 379;
gives birth to Joseph Jr., 380; returns
to Tunbridge, 380; returns to Roy¬
alton, 380-81; gives birth to Ephraim

485

INDEX

and William, 381; moves to Lebanon
(NH), 382; gives birth to Katharine,
382; moves to Norwich (VT), 383;
gives birth to Don Carlos, 384; takes
mother to Royalton on way to Pal¬
myra, 387

—activities, New York: arrives in Pal¬
myra with children (1816/17),

292n2, 384-85; moves to Samuel
Jennings’s property, 389, 390; gives
birth to Lucy, 392; moves with fam¬
ily onto Manchester land (1822/23),
393; joins Presbyterian Church
(1824/25), 396; sends Joseph Jr. to
cabinet maker, 404; sent by Joseph Jr.
to ask for Martin Harris’s help, 405;
visits Martin Harris to ask for money,
407; visits Harmony (PA) with Jo¬
seph Sr., 410, 411; inactive in Pres¬
byterian church, 411, 429; in Fayette
when three witnesses see angel and
gold plates, 421; visited by three men
trying to destroy Book of Mormon
manuscript, 425; visited by Presbyte¬
rian committee, 425; baptism, 364,
364n6, 430; home invaded by credi¬
tors, 447; moves to the Kingdom
(near Waterloo), 296, 296nl, 448;
writes to brother Solomon Mack,

451; leads group to Ohio, 455
Smith, Lucy (daughter of Joseph Sr. and
Lucy Smith), 374, 374n49, 383, 392,

393, 448

Smith, Mary (Hyrum’s daughter), 420, 438
Smith, Mary (Duty), 377
Smith, Mary (Fielding), 41n2
Smith, Nathan, 382

Smith, Samuel (brother of Joseph Smith,

Sr.), 431

Smith, Samuel H., 411, 447; acts as scribe
for Joseph Jr., 413; attends church con¬
ference (September 1830), 351; baptism,
363, 416; birth, 380; founding member
of church (one of six elders), according
to David Whitmer, 293, 338; incurs debt
with Lemuel Durfee, 408, 409; joins
Orson Pratt and Joseph Coe in preparing

church to move to Ohio, 323, 372n36;
joins Presbyterian Church, becomes in¬
active, 396; 411, 429; missing from 1820
census, 391; missions to Livonia (NY),
435, 438, 444; moves mother and sister
to Waterloo (NY), 448; ordained an
elder, 201n28, 349, 351, 432; receives
elder’s license, 350; travels with Orson
Pratt to Ohio, 324; unclaimed letter,

405; visits (with father) Joseph Knight in
Colesville, 412; visits father in prison,

447; visits (with Oliver Cowdery) Joseph
Jr. in Harmony, 3, 75n8; witness to the
Book of Mormon (one of eight), 77,

238; witness to land transaction between
Isaac Hale and Joseph Smith, 414; works
for Lemuel Durfee, 399, 402, 409,

410-11

Smith, Sophronia. See Stoddard, Sophronia
(Smith)

Smith, Spencer, 244

Smith, Thomas W., 25-27, 58, 123, 125,

128

Smith, William, 312, 367nl4, 393, 433,

438, 447; baptized by David Whitmer,
366, 366nl2, 432; birth, 381; handles
gold plates, 404; moves with family to
Palmyra (NY), 385; works for Lemuel
Durfee, 410-11

Smith family, affected by typhoid fever in
Lebanon (NH), 282; enumerated in
1810 Royalton (VT) census, 381; enu¬
merated in 1820 Manchester (NY) cen¬
sus, 391; home invaded by creditors,

447; money diggers, 285n22; move from
frame house into cabin (with Hyrum’s
family), 414; renters on own land, 399,
401

Snow, Lorenzo, 111

Snyder, John J., 172, 193, 193nl, 227

Solomon, Charles F., 226nl

South Bainbridge, Chenango County (NY),
424; baptisms, 370-71, 444; Joseph
Smith arrested and tried in (1830), 435-
36; Joseph Smith attends school, 399; Jo¬
seph Smith and father accompany Josiah
Stowell to, 398; Joseph Smith lives with

486

INDEX

Josiah Stowell for five months, 398; Jo¬
seph Smith tried in (1826), 398, 399-
400; Joseph and Emma Smith married,
401

South Cottonwood (UT), 165
South West (MO), 95
Spaulding, Solomon, 24nl9, 67n8, 86, 94,
128, 132, 153nl3, 156, 195-96
Spear, Abraham, 387, 387n6, 388
Springfield (ID), 165
Springfield (MO), 182
St. George (UT), 217
St. Joseph (MO), 242

St. Lawrence County (NY), 372n34, 420,
431, 446

St. Louis (MO), 95
St. Louis Republican, 125-32
Stacy, John, 374, 374n50
Stacy, Mrs., 374

Stafford, Christopher M., 374n51
Stafford, John, 364n6
Stafford Road, 389, 390, 392
State Historical Society of Missouri, 182
Stevenson, Edward, 12n2, 19n3, 421; hears
three witnesses testify to Book of Mor¬
mon, 346; interviews David Whitmer
(1877), 28-35; (1886), 159-64; (1888),
251; interviews John C. Whitmer, 226,
261-63; writes to John Taylor, 33
Stevenson, Emily E. (Williams), 186, 186nl
Stewartsville (MO), 128
Stockholm, St. Lawrence County (NY),
438

Stoddard, Calvin, 272n39, 372, 407, 429,
443, 453

Stoddard, Eunice, 429
Stoddard, James S., 428
Stoddard, Russell, 397, 398
Stoddard, Sophronia (Smith), 372n39, 378,
429, 443, 453; birth of, 379; joins Pres¬
byterian Church (1824/25), 396; mar¬
ries, 407

Stout, Hosea, 348

Stowell, Josiah, Jr., 399
Stowell, Josiah, Sr., baptism, 374, 374n52,
428; handles gold plates, 404; hires Jo¬
seph Smith as seer to find lost Spanish
mine (1825), 397-98; houses Joseph
Smith for five months, 398; plans to buy
$500 worth of Books of Mormon, 425;
sells horse to Joseph Smith, 424, 435;
testifies at Joseph Smith’s trial (1826),
400; testifies at Smith’s trials (1830), 435,
436; travels to Canada to sell Book of
Mormon copyright, 258; visiting Smith
family when Joseph Jr. obtains gold
plates, 403, 404; visits Palmyra/Man¬
chester (January 1830), 428
Strang, James J., 66, 66n7, 234
Stringham, Esther (Knight), 367, 434
Stringham, Julia Ann, 367, 434
Stringham, Sylvester, 290, 290nl7
Stringham, William, 367, 434
Stuart, Charles, 289nl2
Susquehanna River, 137nl0, 400, 416
Swedenborg, Emanuel, 272, 272n6
Sweet, Northrup, 370, 370n27, 445
Sweet, Richard, 428
Switzerland, 9nl

sword of Laban, 29, 32, 35, 38, 43, 48, 51,
77, 91, 113, 116, 121, 160, 162, 170,
177, 187, 213, 220
Syracuse (NY), 285

Tacoma (WA), 135

Tales of a Grandfather , 290, 290n22

Tambora (Sumbawa Island, East Indies),

384

Tanner, Lyman Greenwell, 170nl4
Tanner, Nathan, Jr., 10, 150, 153nl3,
165-70

Tanner, Nathan, Sr., 165
Tanner, Nathan Amasa, 165, 167, 168
Tanner, Rachel (Smith), 165
Tarbell, Squire, 401
Taylor, John, 33, 49, 111

487

INDEX

teacher(s), 141, 201, 206, 255, 350, 355-56
Teraphim, 59n3

Testimony of Eight Witnesses, 66n5, 244,
248n3, 250, 278, 282, 419
Testimony of Three Witnesses, 10, 13,
22nl5, 39, 65-66, 66n5, 97, 110, 118,
132, 142, 147, 193, 200, 224, 227, 238,
243, 244, 278, 282, 320, 325, 345-47,
419; copy made by Oliver Cowdery,
48n24, 53, 345; signed by each man, 47,
53, 142n8, 345; signed by Oliver
Cowdery for each man, 141, 141-42n8
Thayre, Ezra, 370, 370n27, 442, 444, 445
Thayre, Joel, 401
Thayre, Levi, 401

Thomas Creek, 284, 284nl8, 294, 294nl4,
332

three Nephites, 45, 189, 191
three witnesses, 29, 33, 34, 41, 49, 95, 148,
153, 200, 210, 212, 222, 268, 268n2,
295, 304n4, 320; alleged denial of testi¬
monies denounced, 25, 109-10; did not
touch plates, 135; testimony of, 5, 13,
22nl5, 39, 65-66, 325, 345-47; vision
of, 3, 9, 25-26, 39, 109-10, 143, 155-56,
191, 193, 238, 308-309, 325-26, 345-47
Tice, Solomon, 388
Tiffin (OH), 174n5
Times and Seasons , 312
tongues (speaking in), 202
Topsfield (MA), 377
Toronto (Ontario, Canada), 198, 199,
199nl8, 259nll

Torslev parish (Denmark), 261 nl
Traughber, J. L., 26, 328n8; comments on
Joseph Smith’s Canadian revelation,
259nll, 340-41; disputes Thomas W.
Smith’s version of interview with David
Whitmer, 25; interviews David Whit-
mer, 15, 58-61, 226-27; writes to James
Cobb, 333-35
Trigg, George W., 71
Tucker, Pomeroy, 374n51, 384, 390, 418,
451

Tunbridge (VT), 377, 378, 379, 380, 387

Tunbridge Gore (VT), 378
Turley, Theodore, 240-41
Turner, Orsamus, 350nl8
Tyler (TX), 333

Universalist(s), 378

University of Michigan, 139, 144, 145, 148
urim and thummim, 21nl2, 59n3, 60, 155,
178; confused with seer stone, 21nl0,

59, 60-61, 82, 85; description, 15, 20,

40, 131; first mentioned by William W.
Phelps in 1833, 59n3; never seen being
worn, 154nl5; not mentioned in Joseph
Smith’s early revelations, 60, 60n5; Oli¬
ver Cowdery’s use of term in 1834,

59n4; referred to as “Interpreters,” 43,
59n3, 59n4, 61, 121, 135, 138, 187,

188, 327, 329; referred to as “specta¬
cles,” 15, 21, 40, 59n3, 136, 152, 153,

154, 154nl5, 178, 183, 184, 184n8,
200n25, 210, 272, 273; revelation (com¬
mand to baptize) received through,
137nl0; said to have been used by Jared-
ites, 21; said to have been used in trans¬
lation of Book of Mormon, 15, 16, 18,
20, 21, 26, 27, 27n5, 40, 58, 59, 131,
169, 184, 213-14, 293, 329; in translat¬
ing first part of Book of Mormon, there¬
after a seer stone, 15, 27n5, 30, 82, 138,

155, 179, 188, 210, 214; seen by David
Whitmer (and other witnesses) in vision,
29, 32, 38, 43, 48, 113, 116, 121, 135-
36, 163, 170, 177, 187, 213, 220, 346;
taken from Joseph Smith after Martin
Harris lost manuscript, 410. See also seer
stone

Utah, 23, 23nl7, 29, 42, 49, 50, 87, 125,
135, 140, 141, 148, 156, 165, 175, 215,
242

Utica (NY), 407, 419

Van Cleave, James R. B., 42-43, 43n9, 45,
48, 50, 53, 158, 323n3
Van Cott, Lovina, 317, 318
Vermont, 255, 384, 387

488

INDEX

Virgen City (UT), 217
Virginia, 22nl6, 42n8

Walker, Charles Lowell, 217
Walle (Germany), 270
Warner, W. W., 43, 43nl0, 50, 341
Wasson, Benjamin, 436
Wasson, Elizabeth (Hale), 401, 436
Wasson, George I., 70
Waterloo, Seneca County (NY), 22, 73,
130, 268nl, 272, 283, 285, 289, 296,
299, 299n8, 312, 312n2, 331, 331nl,
337, 337n5, 413, 445, 449, 451, 455;
baptisms, 373, 373n44; Joseph Smith,

Sr., arrives in, 450; Mormon exodus
from, 5; Sidney Rigdon leaves for Ohio
from, 453; Smith family moves to, 4,
443. See also Kingdom, Seneca County
(NY)

Watertown, Jefferson County (NY), 30nl2

Watkins Glen (NY), 151, 209

Wayne Sentinel, 285n22, 420, 429, 456

Webb, Henry, 119n2

Weed, Thurlow, 418

Welch, Ernest L., 298-99

Wells, Daniel H., 161, 161n6

Wells, Ira J., 454

Wells, Mrs., 403

West Fayette, Seneca County (NY), 282,
283, 284

Whitmer, Anne (Schott), 4, 283-84nl7,
365, 430

Whitmer, Christian, 29, 33, 151, 201,
282n8; attends German Reformed
Church, 282; attends church conference
(June 1830), 350; baptized by Oliver
Cowdery, 4, 293, 365, 430; constable in
Fayette (NY), 183n4; founding member
of church (one of six elders), according
to David Whitmer, 30, 32, 33; gives Jo¬
seph Smith first tailored suit, 87; mar¬
riage, 283nl7; priesthood licence, 5;
prophecies of, 199; receives teacher’s li¬
cense, 350, 355-56; witness of Book of

Mormon (one of eight), 77, 238; writes
(as scribe) for Joseph Smith, 84, 105,

106, 112, 115, 153, 210, 417

Whitmer, D. P., 70

Whitmer, David, 5, 33, 151, 231, 260, 263,
263n9, 277, 283, 295, 327, 422, 430,
439; affirms testimony of Book of Mor¬
mon, 216-27; appointed to keep church
records, 351; bears testimony in Pontiac
(MI) (1834), 28; believes Bible and
Book of Mormon harmonious, 23; bio¬
graphical data, 9-12, 22, 42, 49, 73-74,
130, 157, 180, 209, 211; comments on
Joseph Smith’s character, 90-91; denies
having refuted original testimony of
Book of Mormon, 68, 90, 105, 108,

195; description, 22, 29, 34, 49, 73, 90,
112, 114, 142, 146, 182; finds gold
plates lying on ground, 13; founding
member of church (one of six elders),

30, 32, 33, 79, 188, 189, 200, 293, 338;
German ancestry, 9nl, 114, 282; gold
plates described, 13, 58; description of
gold plates differs from Martin Harris’s,
14; mistakenly believes church organized
at Fayette, 22nl4, 29-30, 30nll, 32, 78,
79n27, 93-94, 94nl, 187-88, 189, 201,
201n29, 227; mistakenly believes he
possesses original dictated manuscript of
Book of Mormon, 19n3, 47-48, 48n24,
53, 112, 117-18, 142n8; mistakenly
names six founding members (elders) of
church, 29-30, 31-32, 78-79, 79n27,
200-20ln28; possesses early church doc¬
uments (printer’s manuscript of Book of
Mormon), 19, 23, 29, 32, 33, 34, 46,

79, 83, 102, 106, 112, 115, 119-20,
141-42, 147, 159, 164, 166-67, 175,

177, 186, 196, 210, 213, 217, 220, 234;
possesses transcription of ancient charac¬
ters inscribed on gold plates, 98, 102,

107, 112-13, 115, 131, 157, 159, 159n3,
164, 167, 173, 177, 186, 188, 196, 213;
prophecies of, 199; refers to ancient
American ruins as evidence for Book of
Mormon, 23, 96, 98; says Joseph Smith
first translated with urim and thummim,
thereafter with seer stone, 15, 27n5, 30,

489

INDEX

82, 138, 155, 179, 188, 210, 214; tells of
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery visit¬
ing cave in hill Cumorah, 34-35; transla¬
tion of gold plates described, 15-16, 21,
26, 61, 76, 86, 104-105, 108, 122, 154,
169, 178, 183-84, 196-97, 214, 273nl7,
329; vision (of 1829) described in meta¬
physical terms, 9-10, 63, 66, 68, 140,
141, 146-47, 149, 166, 170, 177, 193,
213, 325-26n2, 347; witness to Book of
Mormon (one of three), 65, 68, 69, 73,

83, 111, 114, 121, 140, 142, 144, 160,
162, 164, 171, 174, 190, 195, 209, 218,
220, 238, 243, 248, 295, 325, 345-47

—activities, New York, 152, 262, 289,
304n2, 433, 442, 445; moves with
family to Fayette (1809), 9, 22, 73,
73nl; meets Cowdery in Palmyra
and learns about gold plates (1828),

3, 9, 20, 74, 103, 176nl3, 414; sees
place where plates were deposited,

19, 39-40, 130-31, 131nl7, 153; vis¬
ited by Cowdery in Fayette (April
1829), 21, 44, 51, 75, 414; corre¬
sponds with Cowdery, 3, 9, 44, 51,
54, 75, 81, 103, 152n7, 176, 187,

189, 212, 414-15, 416; miraculous
plowing (planting) of field, 44, 51,

56, 169; Smith follows movements
of, (with seer stone?), 21-22, 44, 51,
54-55, 104, 107, 169, 187, 189, 190;
arrives in Harmony and meets Smith
(June 1829), 20, 44, 81, 130, 417;
transports Smith and Cowdery to
Fayette (June 1829), 3, 9, 10, 21-22,
31nl3, 44, 55-56, 75-76, 103-104,
136-37, 152n7, 153, 160, 166, 187,
192, 212, 262, 417; sees Nephite on
road, 10, 30-31, 33, 44-45, 48, 51-
52, 55-56, 160, 187, 189, 191, 192;
receives impression of angel under
shed, 11, 31, 160, 192; Smith re¬
ceives revelation for, 417; receives
sign Smith true prophet, 66; witness
to translation, 84, 86, 130, 182; may
have served as scribe to Smith, 227,
293; mentions Smith’s use of blanket
during translation, 153, 153nl3,

154nl5, 169; says Smith could not
translate unless humble, 91, 121, 173,
178, 197; baptism of by Smith, 3, 4,

9, 137, 137n8, 187, 189, 190, 200,
200n26, 231, 293, 363, 363n3,
365nl0, 418; ordained elder, 23, 137,
137n8, 187, 189, 190, 200, 349, 350,
418, 419; revelations to regarding
calling of twelve apostles, 419; sees
apparition while plowing, 11, 29, 34,
160, 162, 164, 187, 189, 191, 221,
325-26n2; vision of angel and gold
plates (June 1829), 3, 9, 13, 25-26,

29, 32, 32nl9, 33, 38, 43-44, 48,
50-51, 58, 63, 77, 85, 91-92, 96, 98,
99, 113, 115-16, 121, 122, 132, 134,
135-36, 141, 143, 144, 146-47, 155-
56, 160, 162, 163, 164, 166, 169-70,
172, 176-77, 187, 189, 190, 197,
212-13, 217-18, 220, 272, 421; sees
table with brass plates, director,
sword of Laban, and urim and thum-
mim, 29, 32, 38, 43, 48, 50, 77, 91,
113, 116, 121, 160, 162, 163, 170,
177, 187, 220; hears voice of God,

44, 92, 143, 213, 220, 222; did not
handle plates, 94n2, 135, 141, 143n9,
166; denies vision was hallucination,
124, 143, 144; in Palmyra during
printing of Book of Mormon, 130,
421; baptizes Newel Knight, 432; at¬
tends conference (June 1830), 349;
baptizes eleven, 4, 366nl2, 432; re¬
ceives elder’s license, 349; visits
Colesville with Smith, 434; baptizes
Almira Mack, 368nl9; and Thomas
Marsh, 368n20, 439; visits Harmony
with Hyrum Smith, 440; visits Coles¬
ville with Joseph Jr. and others, 440-
41; marries Julia Ann Jolly (1831),

11, 23, 74, 211, 283, 283nl5, 452;
attends conference (26 September
1830), 350, 351; visits hill Cumorah
three times, 24; moves to Ohio, 11

—activities, Missouri: president of
church in Missouri (1834), 11; af¬
firms testimony before Missouri mob,
216, 223; ordained as Joseph Smith’s

490

INDEX

successor, 11, 234; excommunicated
(1838), 11, 141; lives in Richmond
(MO) (1838-88), 11, 17, 22, 23, 26;
heads splinter group, 11; home dam¬
aged in cyclone, 41, 79, 96, 98-99,
111, 114, 126, 147; receives charge
from Cowdery to keep records, 46;
alleges Mormons offered money for
Book of Mormon manuscript,

46n20, 79, 87, 120, 129, 157, 175-
76; refuses to sell manuscript, 147,
157, 176, 210, 215, 220; receives
revelation in 1838 commanding him
to separate from church, 194; dying
testimony, 214-15, 225-27; death,

11, 211, 215

—points of conflict with Joseph Smith
and LDS Church, 132, 194; changes
in revelations, 205-206; claim of an¬
gelic ordinations, 43, 50, 136, 136n6,
137, 161, 161n5, 189, 227, 329n9,
416; hierarchical control, 9; high
priesthood, 69, 141, 180, 203-204,
206; Joseph Smith’s demand for pri¬
macy, 9; Joseph Smith as “Prophet,
Seer, and Revelator,” 202, 203,
204-205, 227, 328; new name of
church, 140, 140n3, 208; polygamy,
23, 23nl7, 69, 131-32, 202, 209,

215; publication of revelations and
legalistic view of, 9, 15-16, 206, 334,
334n8, 340-41; revelation regarding
Book of Mormon copyright in Can¬
ada, 180, 197-99, 199nl8, 259nll,
340-41, 428; Sidney Rigdon’s influ¬
ence over Joseph Smith, 5, 141, 145,
147, 180, 203-204, 207, 208; various
revelations thought to be false, 18,
172, 180, 194, 197, 199, 204, 205,
207-208

—writings: Address to All Believers in
Christ , 68, 194-208, 215; “Proclama¬
tion,” 10, 62, 68-71

—letters to: E. C. Brand, 224; E. L.
Kelley, 117-18; Heman C. Smith,
219; James N. Seymour, 219; Joseph
Smith III, 219; Kansas City Journal,
81-82; Mark H. Forscutt, 219; Rob¬

ert Nelson, 225; S. T. Mouch, 222;
Saints' Herald, 172-74; Salt Lake Her¬
ald, 17; Sister Gates, 224-25

—interviews conducted by: Jesse R.
Badham, 220-21; Davis H. Bays,

218; E. C. Briggs and R. Etzen-
houser, 119-22; James Caffall, 218-
19; Angus M. Cannon, 225; David
H. Cannon, 217-18; George Q.
Cannon, 111-16; J. W. Chatburn,
93-94; Chicago Times (1875), 17-24,
25-26; (1881), 83-88; Chicago Tribune
(1885), 150-58; (1888), 209-10; E. S.
Gilbert, 65-67; Zenas H. Gurley,
135-38; James H. Hart, 95-110; M. J.
Hubble, 182-92; Kansas City Journal,
72-80; William H. Kelley and
George A. Blakeslee, 89-92; William
E. McLellin, 220; Frank McDowell,
223; Thomas B. Marsh, 217; An¬
thony Metcalf, 193; Henry Moon,
218; John Morgan and Matthias F.
Cowley, 221-22; James Henry
Moyle, 10, 12n2, 139-49; Eri B.
Mullin, 15-16; John Murphy, 62-64;
Omaha Herald, 171-81; Moroni Pratt,
S. R. Marks, and others, 222-23;
Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith,
41-57, 87, 220; P. Wilhelm Poulson,
36-40; Franklin D. Richards and
Charles C. Richards, 224; Richmond
Democrat, 211-15; B. H. Roberts,
223-24; St. Louis Republican, 125-32;
Heman C. Smith and William H.
Kelley, 223; Joseph Smith III and
others, 123-24, 221; Thomas W.
Smith, 25-27; Edward Stevenson
(1877), 28-35; (1886), 159-64; Na¬
than Tanner, 165-70; J. L. Traugh-
ber, 58-61, 340-41; unknown re¬
porter, 133-34; Edwin G. Woolley,
221 ;

Whitmer, David C. (Jacob Whitmer’s son),
46, 47, 52

Whitmer, David J. (David Whitmer’s son),
42, 42n5, 49, 52, 74, 79, 89, 96, 97, 98,
111, 114, 116, 126, 141, 150, 157,
161n5, 165, 167, 180, 234, 341

491

INDEX

Whitmer, Elizabeth Ann. See Cowdery,
Elizabeth Ann (Whitmer)

Whitmer, Elizabeth (Schott), 284nl7, 365,
430

Whitmer, Jacob, 42, 46, 47, 50, 52, 53,

130, 151, 180, 198, 217, 251, 261,
282n8, 283; attends German Reformed
Church, 282; baptized by Oliver
Cowdery, 293, 365, 430; death of, 38,
157; home damaged in tornado, 41;
marriage, 284nl7; one of eight wit¬
nesses, 37, 77, 116, 238
Whitmer, John, 5, 62, 90, 151, 198, 217,
263, 283, 289, 421, 433, 437, 439, 451,
452; biographical data, 231-32; founding
member of church (one of six elders),
according to David Whitmer, 30, 32,

33, 79, 188, 189; one of eight witnesses,
38, 63, 77, 175, 231, 238, 243, 247, 248,
249; possesses copy of Book of Mormon
characters, 249, 250, 251; prophecies of,
199

—activities, New York and Pennsylva¬
nia, 437, 439, 450; attends German
Reformed Church, 282; works as Jo¬
seph Smith’s scribe, 40, 60, 227, 231,
293, 323n3, 417, 446, 448, 450; de¬
scribes translation of Book of Mor¬
mon, 329; receives revelation
(through Joseph Smith), 417; bap¬
tism, 3, 231, 293, 293nl0, 365,
365nl0, 417; ordained an elder, 231,
349, 350, 357; apostle, 306, 357; de¬
scribes seeing gold plates in meta¬
physical terms, 232, 240-41; says he
handled the gold plates, 245-46, 248,
251; describes gold plates, 248; at¬
tends church conference (June 1830),
349, 357; receives elder’s license, 5,
349, 357-58; preaches in Fayette,

288; attends church conference (Sep¬
tember 1830), 350; copies and ar¬
ranges revelations for Joseph Smith,
306n4, 437; writes letter (with Joseph
Smith) to Colesville Saints, 439, 449;
visits Colesville with Joseph Smith,
434, 440; commanded to transport
revelations to Missouri, 231, 238,

305, 306; receives letter of introduc¬
tion from Sidney Rigdon, 451

—activities, Ohio and Missouri: arrives
in Ohio, 238nl3, 305-307, 452; pre¬
siding elder in Ohio, 305; writes to
Joseph Smith horn Ohio, 453; mar¬
riage, 231; appointed first church his¬
torian, 231, 233; writes history of
church, 156-57, 175, 189, 233-38;
editor of Messenger and Advocate , 231,
239; refuses to hand over records to
church leaders, 233; death, 157, 251,
255; excommunication (1838), 175,
231, 241n2

—interviews: conducted by Myron H.
Bond, 251; William Lewis and oth¬
ers, 250-51; P. Wilhelm Poulson, 36,
37, 247-49; Theodore Turley, 240-
41; letter to Heman C. Smith, 244;
reaffirms testimony of Book of Mor¬
mon, 239, 241, 242, 244, 245-46,
250-51

Whitmer, John C., 5, 42, 42n7, 43, 49, 50,
90, 116, 157, 175, 180, 226, 251, 341;
interviewed by Andrew Jenson and Ed¬
ward Stevenson, 261-63

Whitmer, Julia Ann (Jolly), baptized by Da¬
vid Whitmer, 366, 432; marries David
Whitmer, 11, 74, 211, 283, 283nl5, 452

Whitmer, Mary, 42n7

Whitmer, Mary (Musselman), 289nl2; bap¬
tized by Oliver Cowdery, 4, 293, 365,
431; German heritage, 9nl; sees angel
with gold plates, 31, 45, 48, 52, 56, 160-
61, 187, 189, 191-92, 261-63

Whitmer, Peter, Jr., 283; attends church
conference (9 June 1830), 349; attends
conference (26 September 1830), 350,
351; baptized by Oliver Cowdery, 3,
231, 293nl0, 363, 363n3, 365nl0, 418;
becomes an elder, 349; founding mem¬
ber of church (one of six elders), accord¬
ing to David Whitmer, 78, 188, 189,
200, 293, 338; helps with printing of
Book of Mormon, 421, 424; mission to
Indians in Ohio and Missouri, 79, 82,
234, 351, 445; one of eight witnesses,

492

INDEX

77, 238; prophecies of, 199; receives el¬
der’s license, 350; receives revelation
(through Joseph Smith), 417

Whitmer, Peter, Sr., 9, 191, 231, 255, 261,
262, 273, 282n8, 283, 288, 296nl,
373n48; appearance in 1810 census,
73nl; baptized by Oliver Cowdery, 4,
293, 365, 431; description, 282; Fayette
home, center of Mormon activities, 3, 4,
9, 21, 32nl9, 136, 176nl3, 177, 187-88,
189, 198, 237nl0, 284, 292, 293, 294,
305, 316, 316n3, 323, 323n3, 325, 345,
350n20, 351n29, 432, 442-43, 445, 451;
houses Joseph Smith during translation
of Book of Mormon (1829), 3, 4, 191,
260, 288, 293, 331-32, 417; houses Jo¬
seph Smith (1830), 299, 322; German
heritage, 282, 292, 331; letter to Joseph
Smith inviting him to Fayette, 440, 441;
rumor of financing Book of Mormon,
285; sells farm, gives proceeds to church,
289,289nl2

Whitmer, Sarah (Jackson), 231, 247, 247nl,
248,249n5

Whitmer family, 132, 282, 285, 295, 316,
332; attends Zion’s Church, 9, 270, 282;
belief in witches, 13, 278; acquainted
with Cowdery before Smith, 54; present
during translation, 76; visited by David
Marks, 303-304

Whitney, Orson F., 359

Willers, Diedrich, Jr., 5, 287, 298n2; pub¬
lishes history of Fayette, 287, 292-95

Willers, Diedrich, Sr., 5; letter to Reverend
Brethren, 270-78; to Ellen Dickinson,
281-86

Willes, Ira J., 375, 375n60
Winchester (CT), 267
Windham (NH), 377
Wisconsin, 327
Witmer, George, 9nl
Woodruff, Wilford, 111
Woodson, T. D., 70
Woodward, Beniah, 380
Woolley, Edwin G., 221
Wyl, William. See Wymetal, Wilhelm
Patter von

Wymetal, Wilhelm Ritter von, 333
Yale University, 356, 382
York (PA), 270
Yost, Casper, 288, 288n6
Yost, Chester, 290, 290nl9
Yost, Lee, 5, 287-91,295
Young, Brigham, 23nl7, 30nl2, 122, 156,
161n6, 179, 210, 242, 291
Young, Daniel, 270, 278, 278n51
Young, Phineas, 50, 179, 179n22, 200n25,
214

Young, Zina D. (Huntington), 30, 30nl2
Ypsilanti (MI), 290nl9
Zion (MO), 249

Zion’s Church, 9, 277, 278, 282, 284
Zodiac (TX), 244

493

In Volume 5:

INTERVIEWS WITH BOOK OF MORMON WITNESS DAVID WHITMER,
CONDUCTED BY:

Joseph F. Smith & Orson Pratt
George Q. Cannon
Joseph Smith III
James Henry Moyle
Nathan Tanner, Jr.

William H. Kelley & George A. Blakeslee
Edmund C. Briggs & Rudolph Etzenhouser
Zenas H. Gurley
Thomas W. Smith
Edward Stevenson

and the Chicago Times, Kansas City Journal, Omaha Herald,
and St. Louis Republican, among others.

STATEMENTS, TESTIMONIES, LETTERS, AND REMINISCENCES BY:

Hiram Page John Whitmer

William E. McClellin Elizabeth Ann Whitmer Cowdery

Diedrich Willers Lucius Fenn

Ezra Booth Parley P. Pratt

Sidney Rigdon J. L. Traughber

and minutes of meetings, ordination certificates, maps, and a chronology
of the Joseph Smith family, 1771-1831.

Excerpt:

I was plowing in the field one morning, and Joseph [Smith] and Oliver
[Cowdery] came along with a revelation stating that I was to be one of the
witnesses to the Book of Mormon. I got over the fence and we went out into
the woods, near by, and sat down on a log and talked awhile ... when all at
once a light came down from above us and encircled us for quite a little dis¬
tance around; and the angel stood before us ... dressed in white ... A table
was set before us and on it the records ... from which the Book of Mormon
was translated ... While we were viewing them the voice of God spoke out
of heaven saying that the Book was true and the translation correct.
—David Whitmer, interview, Saints' Herald, 1882.

In this 5-volume series:

1. The Joseph Smith family and Vermont
2-3: Palmyra, New York, and environs

4: Colesville & South Bainbridge, New York, & Harmony, Pennsylvania
5: Fayette, New York

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